Epidemiology of lymphomas in children residing in Mexico City

Background: The aim of this paper is to present the epidemiological characteristics of time, subject and place of lymphomas in children residing in Mexico City, Mexico (MC). Methods: The type of study was a retrospective hospital survey, All records of children with lymphomas registered between 1982 and 1991 at the main hospitals that treat children with cancer in MC were reviewed, Neoplasms were classified into Hodgkin's disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NonHL), Trend and incidence by sex, age and area of residence in MC were evaluated. Time of diagnosis, as well as parental occupation and educational level, were registered. Results: A trend was only observed for HD in the total group (r:0.62; P = 0.05), In 1991, incidence for HD was 6.12 (rates x 10(6)) and 3.87 for NonHL, The highest average incidence was found in children 5-9 years of age (5.40) for HD, acid in the age groups of 1-4 and 5-9 (3.10 and 3.33, respectively), for NonHL, Incidence was higher among boys for both lymphoma categories, but the male-to-female ratio was much higher in HD. Time of diagnosis, incidence in terms of place of residence, and parental educational level and occupation also differed from one lymphoma category to the other. Conclusion: The epidemiology of HD is different from that of NonHL, both showing a pattern similar to that of Latin American children.