title: Childhood cancer trends in a western Canadian province: a population-based 22-year retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to describe children and youth <20 years of age diagnosed with malignant cancer in Alberta, Canada over 22 years. We consider both temporal and geographical variations.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Alberta Cancer registry was used to extract information on cancer diagnoses during April 1, 1982, and March 31, 2004. Data extracted included gender, age at diagnosis, diagnosis, and geographic information. Population data were also obtained and analyses included descriptive summaries, rates, and cluster detection tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During 22 fiscal years, 2,758 Alberta children and youth were diagnosed with malignant cancer. The average age of diagnosis was 9.6 years. The most common diagnoses were leukemia (24.8%), central nervous system (16.7%), lymphoma (15.8%), and other epithelial neoplasm and melanoma (11.2%). The number of malignant cases varied over year with crude rates of 13.4 per 100,000 in 1982/1983 to 17.3 per 100,000 in 2003/2004. Variation was also seen over diagnosis sub-group and geographic region.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although a relatively rare number of children and youth in Alberta were diagnosed with cancer during the study period, there were suggestions that an increase incidence in childhood cancer occurred in later years and some geographic areas have more cases than expected by chance. Further study is required to see if emerging trends continue and explain higher rate areas.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. rhonda.rosychuk@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Rhonda J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Rosychuk
authors.forename: Adrienne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Witol
authors.forename: Kent
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stobart
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000416:Alberta / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012042:Registries; D055815:Young Adult