Characterization of childhood cancer in Brazil from the hospital-based cancer registries, 2000-2016

Objective: to characterize childhood cancer in Brazil, based on the national and regional investigation of hospital-based cancer registries, from 2000 to 2016. Method: observational, retrospective and secondary-based study, with a sample of 71,925 records containing information of children and adolescents (0 to 19 years old). Results: infant-juvenile cancer was more frequent in males with 39,049 (54.3%) cases, with 22,391 (31.1%) records of children aged 0 and 4 years and 19,892 (40.4%) with color of brown skin. Leukemias, myeloproliferative diseases and myelodysplastic diseases affected 20,744 (28.8%) individuals. Solid tumors were diagnosed in 42,087 (58.5%) children and adolescents,23,941 (48.7%) of which underwent chemotherapy at the beginning of treatment and 56,518 (78.6%) who started treatment within 60 days of the diagnosis. Conclusion: it was possible to know the demographic, clinical and care profile of children and adolescents with cancer in Brazil, and by region.