Long-Term Survival Trends in Paediatric Patients with Solid Tumours in the State of São Paulo, Brazil (2000-2022): An Analytical Descriptive Epidemiological Study

Introduction: The State of São Paulo has a significant morbidity and mortality rate related to paediatric solid tumours. Objective: To analyse the survival of patients (aged 0 to 19 years; both sexes) diagnosed with the five most prevalent solid malignant neoplasms in the State of São Paulo, between 2000 and 2022. Method: An epidemiological study of a descriptive nature, using data from the Fundação Oncocentro do Estado de São Paulo with cases selected according to the International Classification of Childhood Cancer, focusing on the time between consultation and diagnosis and between diagnosis and treatment in relation to survival analysis. Results: A total of 11,067 cases were analysed, 53.5% of which were male, with 89.6% diagnosed by microscopic confirmation; 34.3% were central nervous system tumours, 21.1% were bone tumours, 18.6% were soft tissue tumours, 14.2% were germ cell tumours, and 11.9% were retinoblastomas. The most common treatment was surgery with chemotherapy (26.5%), followed by surgery (20.5%) and chemotherapy (15.6%). The average time (days) between consultation and diagnosis was 22.94 ± 69.93, significant for treatments and recurrences across all groups, and concerning sex, for germ cell tumours (p=0.0178); the average time between diagnosis and treatment was 25.46 ± 39.71, not significant for the treatment of germ cell tumours (p=0.0793) and retinoblastoma recurrences (p=0.0697) but significant for sex in germ cell neoplasms (p=0.0054). Conclusion: Survival curves showed distinct behaviours among neoplasm groups, with a considerable percentage of patients waiting beyond the recommended time in a state with a high concentration of services and advanced technological density.