title: Incidence of medulloblastoma in Canadian children.
abstract: Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. There was a perception of pediatric neuro-oncologists that the incidence had declined in Canada. An epidemiological survey was undertaken to determine the incidence of this tumor in Canada and if a change had indeed occurred. All patients 14 years and under diagnosed with medulloblastoma from 1990 to 2009 inclusive in Canada were included. Data collected included date of diagnosis, age at diagnosis, gender, stage, pathology, treatment, recurrence and current status. Data were analysed for change in incidence over time. Data were obtained on 574 eligible patients. The mean overall incidence per 1,000,000 persons was 4.82 (95 % CI 4.28-5.35) for the study time period. The mean age at diagnosis was 5.8 years, and there was a male predominance. Although there was an increase in incidence over the first three time periods (24 % for 1990-1994, 27.5 % for 1995-1999, 27.7 % for 2000-2004), the most recent time period (2005-2009) showed a decrease (21 %). This was true for male children while the incidence was stable for females. The mean incidence rate was double for children under the age of 5 years (7.92 per million) compared to those over 5 years (3.64 per million).This study showed that from 1990 to 2009 the incidence of medulloblastoma was relatively stable, with a slight decrease in the last five-year time period.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada, djohnston@cheo.on.ca.
authors.forename: Donna L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Keene
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kostova
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Strother
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lafay-Cousin
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fryer
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Scheinemann
authors.forename: Anne-Sophie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Carret
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Percy
authors.forename: Samina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Afzal
authors.forename: Beverly
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Lynette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bowes
authors.forename: Shayna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zelcer
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mpofu
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Larouche
authors.forename: Josee
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brossard
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bouffet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000453:epidemiology*