CHICAGO — Surprising research suggests that childhood cancer is most common in the Northeast, a result that caught experts off-guard. But some specialists say it could just reflect differences in reporting.
The large government study is the first to find notable regional differences in pediatric cancer. Experts say it also provides important information to bolster smaller studies, confirming that cancer is rare in children but more common in older kids, especially among white boys.
The study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is based on data representing 90 percent of the U.S. population. It found that cancer affects about 166 out of every 1 million children, a number that shows just how rare childhood cancers are.
The highest rate was in the Northeast, with 179 cases per million children, while the lowest was among children in the South, with 159 cases per million. Some experts suggested that could mean there is better access to care in the urban centers of the Northeast, leading to more diagnoses.
The rates for the Midwest and West were nearly identical, at 166 cases per million and 165 per million, respectively.
A total of 36,446 cases were identified in the study, which analyzed 2001-03 data from state and federal registries. The research appears in the June edition of Pediatrics, released today.
Experts said the regional differences, though small, are intriguing but that reasons for them are uncertain.
Dr. Rafael Ducos, a children’s cancer physician at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, said the South’s low rates were perplexing and might simply reflect underreporting there and overreporting in other regions.
Environmental factors might play a role, including exposure to radiation, said lead author Dr. Jun Li of the CDC.
