CHILDREN DEATH FROM LEUKEMIA, IN BRAZIL, FOR 20 YEARS (1998-2018): A PANORAMIC VIEW

Introduction: In the brazilian scenario of pediatric cancer, leukemia equals 30%, being the most common cancer in childhood. In children up to 4 years, cancer is ranked eighth among the causes of death and, first among the age group between 5 and 19 years, in 2014, according to the Mortality Information System of the Ministry of Health (SIM). Objective: The current research aimed to describe the panorama of leukemia mortality in children aged 0-9 years, in Brazil, during 1998-2018. Methods: The recorded data on death of children from leukemia, during 1998-2018, were stratified into age groups (under 1 year, from 1 to 4 years and from 5 to 9 years old), gender-specific (female, male), retrieved from the Mortality Information System of the Ministry of Health (SIM), in the Information Technology Department of the Unified Health System – DATASUS. It was considered the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10th revision for the inclusion of all leukemia types reported in Brazil (myeloid leukemia, lymphoid leukemia, monocytic leukemia and leukemia of unspecified cell type). After collection, the data were tabulated using Excel 2010. The mortality rates were calculated by age groups and separated by gender, adjusted to a standard Brazil population. Results: The age group subdivisions behaved very differently on death rates from pediatric leukemia, showing an increasing pattern from the youngest to the oldest group. Monocytic leukemia was responsible for more than half of deaths from all the leukemias in the age 1 to 4, while lymphoid leukemia was the one most related to deaths in the age group between 5 and 9 years old. In the comparison between genders, the male was more numerous among the deaths of all leukemias. Conclusions: It was verified that, stratifying by gender, the death percentage is higher in male, regardless the leukemia type. Although lymphoid leukemia is the most expressive cause of death due to this disease in all age groups, the monocytic leukemia has shown to be strongly related to deaths in the 1 to 4 years or pre-schoolars subdivision.