Overall and Event Free Survival of Childhood Cancer - Report From a Hospital-based Cancer Registry in Northern India, 2013-21.

OBJECTIVE: Using data from a hospital-based cancer registry (HBCR) in the private sector in Northern India, we provide overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) for childhood cancer patients. METHODS: All newly diagnosed childhood (age <18 years) cancer patients in our HBCR registered between March 1, 2013 till July 31, 2021 were eligible. 3-year and 5-year OS (death was an event), EFSc (death, progression/relapse was an event), and EFSa (death, progression/relapse, abandonment of treatment was an event) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Regression analysis was done to see their association with demographic, diagnostic and treatment variables. RESULTS: 705 newly diagnosed children (36.2% female) with cancer were registered. Common cancers were leukemias (26%), CNS tumors (20%) and bone tumors (16%). 202 (28.6%) had experienced an event at median follow up of 1.95 years (range 0-8.14 years), which included 23 (3.3%) who abandoned treatment. The 3-year OS, EFSc, EFSa were 70.8%, 64.4% and 63.6%, respectively. Correspondingly, 5-year OS, EFSc, EFSa were 66%, 58.6% and 57.5%, respectively. There was no significant difference by age group, gender, nationality, and if cancer directed treatment initiated elsewhere. The OS, EFSa and EFSc by the main and the extended International Childhood Cancer Classification categories varied significantly (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: We add more recent registry-based OS data on childhood cancer in India and present the first estimates on EFS.

Epidemiology of cancers among adolescents and young adults from a tertiary cancer center in Delhi.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although cancer in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) is increasingly an area of focus, there is a paucity of clinical and epidemiological data from developing countries. Our objective was to analyze the geographical distribution, sex ratio, histology, and disease patterns of cancers in AYA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients aged 15-29 years with the diagnosis of cancer who were registered with two hospitals in New Delhi during a 12-month period from January 2014 to December 2014 were included. Basic demographic information on age, sex, location of stay, and nationality was available. Using cancer site and morphology codes, the cancers were grouped by the Birch classification of AYA cancers. Clinical information on disease and treatment status, was retrospectively studied. RESULTS: There were 287 patients (57.5% male, 85.4% Indian origin) registered with 54 (18.8%), 97 (33.8%), and 136 (47.4%) patients in the 15-19, 20-24, and 25-29 years age groups, respectively. The three most common cancer groups were carcinomas (40.8%), lymphomas (12.9%), and leukemias (10.4%). The three most common sites in carcinomas were gastrointestinal tract (GIT), genitourinary tract, and breast. The most prevalent cancers in younger AYA (15-19 years) were leukemias, lymphomas, central nervous system neoplasms, and in contrast, older AYA (25-29 years) suffered mainly from GIT Carcinomas, lymphomas. The leading cancers were breast and GIT carcinomas in females and lymphomas and GIT carcinomas in males. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of cancer in AYA in India has been described. The distribution differs from the only previous report from India as well as the US Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database, which can be attributed to a referral bias along with the factual difference in cancer etiology and genetics.