Malignant tumours in Omani children

In an effort to understand better the epidemiology of childhood cancer in Oman, a retrospective review of hospital-based biopsy-proven malignant tumours was undertaken. A total of 313 cases of malignant diseases in children between the ages of 0 and 12 years were diagnosed in Oman during the 5-year period from January 1988 to December 1992, inclusive. Leukaemias were the most commonly occurring malignancies (32.3%), followed by lymphomas (29%) and brain tumours (11.2%). The male:female ratio was 1.3:1. The commonest presenting age group was 2 years, the majority of which were leukaemias and lymphomas. Differences and similarities between Omani data and those from other countries are discussed.