The Types and Clinicopathological Characteristics of Childhood Solid Tumors in Duhok City: A Case Series Study

BACKGROUND: Since cancer is a leading cause of death for children and adolescents worldwide and constitutes a challenge to health care systems, childhood cancer data systems are needed to drive continuous improvements in care quality. OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of childhood malignant solid tumors in Duhok city, we reported the clinicopathological features of 33 cases. PATIENTS AND METHOD: During the 17-month period from June 2019 to November 2020, 33 cases of childhood solid cancers were diagnosed at Jeen Centre, regional referral center in duhok government.We performed a pathological and clinical evaluation of these tumors, including tumor types, patient age and sex, presenting clinical findings, symptom duration, blood picture, and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. RESULTS: The types and proportions of solid tumors were: lymphomas (Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin) 10 (30.3%), brain tumors 7 (21.2%), neuroblastoma 5 (15.1%), retinoblastoma 4 (12.1%), Wilms tumor 3 (9.1%), rhabdomyosarcoma 2 (6.1%), and Ewing sarcoma 2 (6.1%). The male-to-female ratio was 1.2:1. 14 (42.4%) patients were <5 years, 14 (42.4%) between 5–10 years, and 5 (15.2%) above 10 years. Abdominal mass was palpable in eight patients, peripheral masses in eight, and six had no palpable mass. Mild to moderate anemia was found in 15 (45%), and serum LDH was elevated in 9 (27%). Renal and hepatic transaminases were normal in all patients. CONCLUSION: Despite slight differences, the pattern of solid tumors observed in children in Duhok is similar to other countries. Cancer should be included in the differential diagnosis of persistent non-specific symptoms, even without a palpable mass.