Epidemiology of Childhood Cancer Based on the Databases of Population-Based Cancer Registries in City of Erbil, Iraq

Abstract

Cancer disease in children is very rare and includes less than one percent of all cancers. However, it is one of the main causes of death among children. The aim of this study is to investigate the epidemiology of various cancers in children in Erbil city, Iraq. In this epidemiological study, in which the cancer registry data of Erbil city was used, the frequency distribution of cancer between 2014 and 2021 (for 8 years) in children under 18 years of age was investigated and the incidence rate per one million people was calculated. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 23 software and MS Excel 2016 software. The registered cancer cases related to the residents of Erbil city during these years were 1766 cases, among which blood cancers had the highest frequency. 59.7% of the cases have been observed in men, and the age group of 15-18 years (34.6%) had the highest frequency in comparison with other age groups. The average age at the time of diagnosis was estimated at 11.2 years. The minimum and maximum age-standardized incidence in this 8-year period is estimated to be 73 cases (year 2014) and 241 cases (year 2019) per million people, respectively. Based on the results of this study and contrary to our expectations, it was found that the incidence of cancer among children under 18 years old in Erbil city is not much different from developed countries.