[Trends of child mortality form tumors in Catalonia (1975-1992)].
BACKGROUND
Childhood mortality from tumors has decreased in industrialized countries. The aim of this paper is to study the trend of mortality from tumors in children (under 15 years old) during the period 1975-1992.


METHODS
Using data from the Department of Health and Social Security's Register of Mortality, age-group standardized (to world population) mortality rates for each sex were analyzed. Analysis was carried out on total mortality caused by childhood tumors and on main causes of death (leukemia, brain cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, bone cancer and non-specified tumors). A Poisson's regression model was used to analyze mortality trends.


RESULTS
Childhood tumors caused 8.7% of all deaths in boys and 8.5% of all deaths in girls between 1990-1992. Thus, standardized mortality rates have decreased significantly, in 1975-1977 standardized mortality rates for boys and girls were 71.20 and 68.05 respectively, in 1990-1992 these rates had fallen to 55.45 and 41.30. The annual percentage decrease in cancer mortality rates for boys was 2% and for girls was 3.1%. Main causes of deaths were leukemia and brain cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Between 1975-1992 a significant downward trend in childhood tumors mortality has been observed, more prominent in main causes of death and in girls. The principal explanation for this trend is an increased survival, consequence of changes in childhood tumors therapy.
Sánchez
V
V
Departament de Sanitat i Seguretat Social, Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona.
Sánchez de Toledo
J
J
Mingot
M
M
Borràs
J M
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
Tendencias de la mortalidad infantil por tumores en Cataluña (1975-1992).