Paediatric malignancies

ABSTRACT

This study aims to describe the pattern of paediatric malignancies in a tertiary hospital in North Eastern Nigeria. This was a retrospective study of all paediatric malignancies diagnosed between June 2000 and May 2006 at the Federal Medical Centre; Gombe; Nigeria. Data were collected from the histopathology and haematology registers; as well as patients' case files and were analyzed. A total of 3;313 children were admitted within the study period. Out of this; 68(2.05) children aged less than 15 years (MF=11) had histologically confirmed malignancies. Malignant lymphomas were the most common (42.65) of all the childhood malignancies; with Burkitt's lymphoma ranking highest (68.97). Burkitt's lymphoma also accounted for 29.41of all the malignancies. Other common malignancies included sarcomas 10(14.71); neurofibromatosis 9(13.24); nephroblastoma 8(11.77); acute lymphoblastic leukaemia 5(7.35) and retinoblastoma 4(5.88). The less common paediatric malignancies were melanoma; invasive lobular breast carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the breast; which together accounted for 4.41. Burkitt's lymphoma is the most frequently diagnosed malignant neoplasm in children at the Federal Medical Centre; Gombe