title: Incidence and survival of childhood leukemia in Recife, Brazil: A population-based analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leukemia is the most common pediatric cancer with incidence rates of around 48 per million for children under 15 years of age. The median age-adjusted incidence rate (AAIR) in children aged 0-14 years in Brazil is 53.3 per million. While overall survival rates for children with leukemia have improved significantly, data for incidence, trends, and relative survival among children and adolescents with leukemia in Recife, Brazil, remain incomplete, which hampers our analyses and provision of the best healthcare. The objective of this report is to provide that data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the Population-Based Cancer Registry of Recife were analyzed from 1998 to 2007. Our analyses included frequencies and AAIR, together with age-specific incidence rates for all leukemias, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and acute myeloid leukemia. To evaluate incidence trends, joinpoint regression, including annual average percent change, were analyzed. Relative survival was calculated using the life-table method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred seventy-five cases were identified, 51% in females. The review reduced the not otherwise specified (NOS) leukemia category by 50% and diagnosis by death certificate only from 5.7% to 1.1%. The AAIR for leukemia was 41.1 per million, with a peak among children aged 1-4 (78.3 per million). Incidence trends during the period were stable. The five-year relative survival rate was 69.8%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data represent the incidence rate and survival of childhood leukemia in Recife, located in the northeast region of Brazil, using a high-quality database.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (IMIP), Recife, PE, Brazil.|Instituto Nacional de Cancer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.|Pediatric Oncology Unit, Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira-IMIP, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mecneide Mendes
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lins
authors.affiliation: Divisão de Vigilância e Análise de Situação Coordenação de Prevenção e Vigilância (Surveilance Division and Surveilance and Prevention Coordination Situation of Analysis) at Instituto Nacional do Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marceli de Oliveira
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Saúde Coletiva (Collective Health Department) of CPqAM, FIOCRUZ, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria de Fátima Pessoa Militão
authors.initials: MFPM
authors.lastname: de Albuquerque
authors.affiliation: Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Recife - Registro de Câncer de Base Populacional, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Claudia Cristina Lima
authors.initials: CCL
authors.lastname: de Castro
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Research Center, Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira - IMIP, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Julia Gonçalves
authors.initials: MJG
authors.lastname: Mello
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Program, Research Center, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: de Camargo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007938:Leukemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: childhood; incidence; leukemia; population-based cancer registry; survival