Infant cancer in the U.S.: histology-specific incidence and trends, 1973 to 1992.
BACKGROUND
Many cancers in infants demonstrate unique epidemiologic, clinical, and genetic characteristics compared with cancers in older children. Few epidemiologic reports, however, have focused on this important age group.


METHODS
Population-based data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program were used to estimate relative frequency, incidence rates, and average annual percentage change of rates among children in their first year of life (infants) who were diagnosed with a malignant neoplasm from 1973 to 1992 (N = 1461).


RESULTS
The greatest proportion of cases (12%) was diagnosed during the first month of life, with extracranial neuroblastoma accounting for 35% of this total. Overall, the average annual incidence rate was 223/1,000,000 infants. Extracranial neuroblastoma was the most common infant malignancy (58/1,000,000 infants per year), followed by leukemias (37/1,000,000), brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumors (34/1,000,000), and retinoblastoma (27/1,000,000). White infants had a 32% higher incidence rate than black infants. The average annual percentage increase in rates for all cancer from 1973 to 1992 was 2.9% (95% CI: 1.9%, 3.8%). For neoplasms with at least 100 cases, increasing trends were greatest for retinoblastoma (4.6%), CNS (4.1%), and extracranial neuroblastoma (3.4%).


CONCLUSIONS
Incidence rates increased notably over the study period. Future studies should consider the unique presentation of infants with cancer when developing new hypotheses related to cancer etiology and gene-environment interactions.
Gurney
J G
JG
Department of Community Health, School of Public Health, Saint Louis University, MO 63108-3342, USA.
Ross
J A
JA
Wall
D A
DA
Bleyer
W A
WA
Severson
R K
RK
Robison
L L
LL
D001741:Black or African American; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D016543:Central Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D005134:Eye Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007938:Leukemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D012175:Retinoblastoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D018426:SEER Program; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People