Trends in incidence of childhood cancer in Australia, 1983-2006.
BACKGROUND
There are few population-based childhood cancer registries in the world containing stage and treatment data.


METHODS
Data from the population-based Australian Paediatric Cancer Registry were used to calculate incidence rates during the most recent 10-year period (1997-2006) and trends in incidence between 1983 and 2006 for the 12 major diagnostic groups of the International Classification of Childhood Cancer.


RESULTS
In the period 1997-2006, there were 6184 childhood cancer (at 0-14 years) cases in Australia (157 cases per million children). The commonest cancers were leukaemia (34%), that of the central nervous system (23%) and lymphomas (10%), with incidence the highest at 0-4 years (223 cases per million). Trend analyses showed that incidence among boys for all cancers combined increased by 1.6% per year from 1983 to 1994 but have remained stable since. Incidence rates for girls consistently increased by 0.9% per year. Since 1983, there have been significant increases among boys and girls for leukaemia, and hepatic and germ-cell tumours, whereas for boys, incidence of neuroblastomas and malignant epithelial tumours has recently decreased. For all cancers and for both sexes combined, there was a consistent increase (+0.7% per year, 1983-2006) at age 0-4 years, a slight non-significant increase at 5-9 years, and at 10-14 years, an initial increase (2.7% per year, 1983-1996) followed by a slight non-significant decrease.


CONCLUSIONS
Although there is some evidence of a recent plateau in cancer incidence rates in Australia for boys and older children, interpretation is difficult without a better understanding of what underlies the changes reported.
Baade
P D
PD
Viertel Centre for Research in Cancer Control, Cancer Council Queensland, 553 Gregory Terrace, Fortitude Valley, Spring Hill, QLD 4006, Australia. peterbaade@cancerqld.org.au
Youlden
D R
DR
Valery
P C
PC
Hassall
T
T
Ward
L
L
Green
A C
AC
Aitken
J F
JF
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013997:Time Factors