Mortality From Childhood and Adolescent Cancer in Brazil Between 2015 and 2025
Renan Garcia Artus, Leonardo Storch, Pedro Melo, Pedro Henrique Ribeiro Teixeira, Rafael Amengual Duarte, Lucas Guimarães, Henrique Da Rocha FronchetiPURPOSE
To analyze temporal trends, age and sex-specific patterns of mortality from childhood and adolescent cancer in Brazil between 2015 and 2025.
METHODS
A descriptive, nationwide, population-based study was conducted using secondary mortality data from the Brazilian Unified Health System. Deaths among individuals under 20 years of age, with underlying cause classified in Chapter II of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (neoplasms), were retrieved for the period 2015-2025. Variables included year of processing, sex, and age group categorized as <1 year, 1-4, 5-9, 10-14, and 15-19 years. Absolute counts and proportions were calculated for the entire period and for each year. Temporal trends in total deaths were evaluated, and the distribution of mortality across age groups and sex was described.
RESULTS
Over the eleven-year period, 14,459 deaths from cancer occurred among children and adolescents in Brazil, of which 8,099 (56.0%) were in males and 6,360 (44.0%) in females. Annual deaths decreased from 1,469 in 2015 to 1,152 in 2025, indicating a gradual decline in childhood and adolescent cancer mortality over time. The age group with the highest number of deaths was 15-19 years (4,399 deaths), followed by 10-14 years (3,138), 5-9 years (3,049), 1-4 years (2,828), and infants under 1 year (1,045). Thus, most deaths occurred in school-age children and adolescents, with fewer events in early childhood and infancy.
CONCLUSION
Childhood and adolescent cancer remains an important cause of mortality in Brazil, although total deaths decreased modestly between 2015 and 2025. The higher burden among males and in the 10–19-year age range highlights the need to strengthen timely diagnosis, referral pathways, and specialized pediatric oncology care for older children and adolescents. Continued monitoring of mortality indicators, together with expansion of comprehensive cancer services and supportive care, is essential to further improve survival and reduce inequities in outcomes for young people with cancer.