Abstract

Introduction: There are few data on the mortality of children hospitalized for cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reported death rates are usually high. This study describes the causes of death from childhood cancer.
Methods: This is an observational and descriptive study of the clinical and therapeutic characteristics of children (0-14 years) who died in the pediatric oncology unit of the University Hospital Center of Treichville in Abidjan from January 2010 to December 2015. Identified causes of death are reported.
Results: During this six year period, 249 inpatient children out of 681 died, resulting in a mortality rate of 36.5%, the median age of the deceased children was 6 years 10 months. Of the 139 who died in hospital, 131 were solid tumors and 48 were metastatic or at advanced stages in the Toronto classification. Of the 71 cases treated, 14 had received first-line palliative treatment. Treatment-related deaths accounted for 29.5% of cases and non-treatmentrelated deaths for 70.5%. The main causes of death were: tumor progression (42.5%), febrile aplasia (15.1%) and metabolic disorders (7.9%).
Conclusion: Actions promoting/ early diagnosis and treatment as well as improved supportive care will reduce mortality.

Keywords: Pediatric oncology; Death; Sub-saharan Africa