THE EMERGING FACE OF CHILDHOOD CANCER IN MOROCCO: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF A FIVE-YEAR COHORT IN RABAT

Childhood cancer represents a major public health challenge,particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This retrospective study aims to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of pediatric malignant tumors at a national referral center in Morocco. We analyzed the records of 273 children (18 years)diagnosed and treated at the National Institute of Oncology (INO) in Rabat between 2020 and 2024. Out of a total of 7,691 registered cancer cases, pediatric cases accounted for 3.55%. A clear male predominance was observed (male-to-female ratio of 1.48), with a median age at diagnosis of 12 years. The analysis reveals a constant increase in the number of cases over the period, with an average annual growth rate of 30.6%. The cancer profile is dominated by central nervous system (CNS) tumors, followed by malignant blood cancers and renal tumors. Management was predominantly multimodal, and the overall 5-year survival is estimated at 95%. These data, among the first of their kind in Morocco, provide a crucial basis for developing targeted public health strategies and planning future national studies.