Incidence and mortality of neuroblastoma in Canada compared with other childhood cancers

The incidence and mortality of neuroblastoma was reviewed in the general context of childhood cancer in Canada for the periods 1982-86 and 1987-91. This was done to complement the preliminary work of the Quebec Neuroblastoma Screening Project that is studying the impact of screening North American infants for the preclinical detection of neuroblastoma on population-based mortality. Annual age-standardized incidence rates for all childhood cancer in Canada appear to have declined slightly (nonsignificantly) from 155.1 to 150.8 per million, between 1982-86 and 1987-91; the rates for neuroblastoma were stable between the two five-year periods (11.8 per million in 1982-86 and 11.4 per million in 1987-91). With respect to mortality, the age-standardized rates for childhood cancer in Canada have shown a declining trend between the first and second halves of the decade, from 43.4 to 34.7 per million, while the rates for neuroblastoma have not changed (4.4 and 4.2 per million). The age-specific distributions of incident cancers indicate that neuroblastoma accounts for the greatest proportion of all cancers in children less than one year of age. Similarly, neuroblastoma is the leading cause of cancer deaths in children aged one to four years. Theoretically, infants less than one year of age could benefit most from effective preventive interventions, treatment, and research.