A total of 84 admitted patients were followed. Among these patients, there 11 patients were excluded (not received any chemotherapy medication). We included 73 patients (46 males & 37 females) of various ages (minimum 6 months, maximum 16 years) for analysis. The mean age of the participants was 7.82(± 4.11 years) and the majority of patients were between 6–11 years of age (27 patients, 37.0%) followed by 3–6 years of age (18 patients, 24.7%). The median weight of the participants was 21.30 (range, 6.6–50.0 kg), and the median height was 121.47 (range, 63-164 cm).
The most common types of cancer diagnosed in patients of both sexes were hematologic malignancies [acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) 27(37.0%), Hodgkin’s lymphoma 9(12.3%), anaplastic large cell leukemia (ALCL) 2 (2.7%), Burkett’s lymphoma/diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) 5(6.8%), and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) 5 (6.8%)]. The most common preexisting comorbidity, if any, is severe acute malnutrition (SAM), (27.4%). The majority of parents were farmers. (Table1 ).
The most common types of cancer diagnosed in patients of both sexes were hematologic malignancies [acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) 27(37.0%), Hodgkin’s lymphoma 9(12.3%), anaplastic large cell leukemia (ALCL) 2 (2.7%), Burkett’s lymphoma/diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) 5(6.8%), and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) 5 (6.8%)]. The most common preexisting comorbidity, if any, is severe acute malnutrition (SAM), (27.4%). The majority of parents were farmers. (Table
Characteristics of pediatric oncology patients and their parents
| Variables | Frequency | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 46 | 63,00 |
| Female | 27 | 37.00 |
| < 3 | 11 | 15.07 |
| | 18 | 24.66 |
| | 27 | 37.00 |
| | 17 | 23.29 |
| < 22 kg | 42 | 57.50 |
| | 31 | 42.50 |
| < 119 cm | 34 | 46.60 |
| | 39 | 53.30 |
| < 0.85m2 | 37 | 50.70 |
| | 36 | 49.30 |
| Farmer | 61 | 83.60 |
| Private business | 5 | 6.80 |
| Employed | 4 | 5.50 |
| House wife | 3 | 4.10 |
| ALL | 27 | 37.00 |
| HL | 9 | 12.30 |
| AML | 5 | 6.85 |
| DLBCL | 5 | 6.85 |
| ALCL | 2 | 2.74 |
| Rhabdomyosarcoma | 5 | 6.85 |
| Wilm's tumor | 8 | 10.96 |
| Osteosarcoma | 5 | 6.85 |
| Retinoblastoma | 2 | 2.74 |
| Hepatoblastoma | 2 | 2.74 |
| Others | 3 | 4.12 |
| SAM | 20 | 27.40 |
| Pneumonia | 4 | 5.50 |
| Impaired LFT | 1 | 1.40 |
| N/A | 48 | 65.70 |
Abbreviations:BSA body surface area, LFT Liver function test, N/A Not available, SAM severe acute malnutrition, ALL acute lymphocytic leukemia, HL Hodgkin’s lymphoma, ALCL anaplastic large cell leukemia, AML acute myeloid leukemia, DLBCL diffuse large B-cell leukemia
Others: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Ewing sarcoma and Langerhans cell histocytosis
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