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CDC Finds Brain, Liver and Thyroid Cancers Increasing Among US Children 2001-2014

Jul 27, 2018 | 0 comments

The CDC presented new findings of increasing rates of brain cancer, renal cancer, hepatic (liver) cancer, and thyroid cancer among individuals under 20 years old in the USA after analyzing 2001–2014  US National Cancer statistics tumor data from 48 states (covering 98% of the US population).

These findings of increased nervous system cancer rates were presented at the 2018 American Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Conference in May, 2018 and also at the 67th Annual Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Conference April 16–19, 2018.

Cancer was increasing for lymphoma, thyroid, brain, kidney, and liver cancer US CDC 2018.

See selected excerpts from the 2018 CDC presentations below (including PDF). 

 2018 American Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Conference
“INCIDENCE RATES AND TRENDS OF PEDIATRIC CANCER — UNITED STATES, 2001–2014”
David Siegel, Jun Li, S. Jane Henley, Reda Wilson, Natasha Buchanan Lunsford, Eric Tai, Elizabeth Van Dyne
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
“increased for non-Hodgkin lymphomas (except Burkitt lymphoma),  central nervous system neoplasms, renal tumors , hepatic tumors , and thyroid carcinomas…”
“Results: We identified 196,200 cases of pediatric cancer during 2001–2014. The overall cancer incidence rate was 173.0 per 1 million; incidence rates were highest for leukemia (45.6), brain tumors (30.8), and lymphoma (26.0). Rates were highest among males, aged 0–4 years, nonHispanic whites, the Northeast US Census region, the top 25% of counties by economic status, and metropolitan counties. The overall pediatric cancer incidence rate increased (AAPC=0.7, 95% CI, 0.5–0.8) during 2001–2014 and contained no joinpoints.
Rates increased in each stratum of sex, age, race/ethnicity (except non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native), region, economic status, and rural/urban classification. Rates were stable for most individual cancer types, but increased for non-Hodgkin lymphomas except Burkitt lymphoma (ICCC group II(b), AAPC=1.2, 95% CI, 0.4–2.0), central nervous system neoplasms (group III, AAPC=0.4, 95% 260 CI, 0.1–0.8), renal tumors (group VI, AAPC=0.6, 95% CI, 0.1–1.1), hepatic tumors (group VII, AAPC=2.5, 95% CI, 1.0–4.0), and thyroid carcinomas (group XI(b), AAPC=4.8, 95% CI, 4.2– 5.5). Rates of malignant melanoma decreased (group XI(d), AAPC=-2.6, 95% CI, -4.7– -0.4). “

EHT Note: “Central Nervous System Neoplasms”  can include tumors of the brain, spinal cord, or meninges of the brain.

67th Annual Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Conference April 16–19, 2018
“Incidence Rates and Trends of Pediatric Cancer — United States, 2001–2014”
David Siegel, J. Li, S.J. Henley, R. Wilson, N. Buchanan Lunsford, E. Tai, E.A. Van Dyne

“The overall pediatric cancer incidence rate increased (AAPC=0.7, 95% CI, 0.5–0.8) during 2001–2014 and contained no joinpoints. Rates increased across sex, age, race/ethnicity, region, economic status, and rural/urban status.”

“Rates of brain, renal, hepatic, and thyroid cancers increased, and rates of melanoma decreased.”

“Conclusions: This study documents increased rates of pediatric cancer during 2001–2014. Increased overall rates of brain and hepatic cancer and decreased rates of melanoma are novel findings using data since 2010. Next steps in addressing changing rates could include investigation of diagnostic and reporting standards, host biologic factors, or environmental exposures.”

Read the Abstract from the CDC Conference on page 108 https://www.cdc.gov/eis/downloads/eis-conference-2018-508.pdf#page=120

Read the CDC press release “Incidence Rates and Trends of Pediatric Cancer — United States, 2001–2014” that states, “Overall, we found a slight increase in pediatric cancer from 2001 to 2014. Cancer was increasing for lymphoma, thyroid, brain, kidney, and liver cancer and was decreasing for melanoma.” at https://www.cdc.gov/eis/conference/dpk/Incidence-Rates-Pediatric-Cancer.html .

IMPORTANT NOTE:  This research by the CDC used data from the United States Cancer Statistics (USCS) a combined cancer registry data from CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program.

Together, these data provide the latest cancer information on the entire U.S. population and cover 98% of the US population.

Recently a reporter told EHT that this data seemed to be in contradiction to information posted on the National Cancer Institute (NCI) website. The reporter asked how EHT could be stating that CDC says brain cancers are rising in pediatrics when the reporter  went online and found information stating “the brain cancer rates were stable.” He sent this link.

So we wrote the CDC scientist and  the CDC scientist responded to EHT that that the NCI link sent by the reporter refers to statistics that  represent only  13.4% of the US population, whereas the new CDC report uses the USCS database representing  98% of the US population.

Hence, the CDC data showing a rise in brain and other cancers among the under twenty population is current and most representative of the US population. Brain cancers are rising in the young.