Pediatric and adolescent cancer disparities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region - incidence, mortality, and survival across socioeconomic strata

Sep 21, 2026

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Cancer is a leading cause of death among children and adolescents, especially in low- and middle-income settings where disparities in incidence and outcomes persist. This study examines whether differences in cancer incidence, mortality, and survival-related measures exist across countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, considering socioeconomic variation. Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019 data are used for malignant neoplasms in individuals under 20 years, with analyses using incidence, mortality, mortality-to-incidence ratios, and correlations with SDI.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages13

Reading Time33 min

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Abstract

Materials and methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Shukla et al. BMC Public Health (2024) 24:3602 BMC Public Health [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21155-8](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21155-8) RESEARCH Open Access Pediatric and adolescent cancer disparities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: incidence, mortality, and survival across socioeconomic strata Ankita Shukla 1, Rouba Karen Zeidan 1 and Basema Saddik 1,2,3* Abstract Background Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in children and adolescents, with a significant concentration in low and middle-income countries. Previous research has identified disparities in cancer incidence and mortality based on a country’s level of development. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region comprises of countries with heterogeneous income and development levels. This study aims to investigate whether discrepancies in cancer incidence and mortality among children and adolescents exist in countries within the MENA region. Materials and methods Data on cancer incidence and mortality were drawn from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019 for all malignant neoplasms (including non-melanoma skin cancers) . The analysis was restricted to children and adolescents aged less than 20 years. Mortality-to-Incidence ratios (MIR) were calculated as a proxy measure of survival for each cancer type and country and Spearman’s correlation coefficient measured the association between socio-demographic index (SDI), incidence rates, mortality rates, and MIR. Results In 2019, cancer incidence in the MENA region was 4. 82/100,000 population, while mortality rate was 11. 65/100,000 population. Cancer incidence and mortality was higher among males compared to females. A marked difference was observed in cancer-related mortality rates between low-income and high-income countries. MIR was higher in low-income countries, particularly for males and specific cancer types such as liver, colon and rectum, brain and central nervous system (CNS) cancers, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma among others. A negative correlation was observed between a country’s SDI and MIR (-0 . 797) and SDI and mortality rates (-0 . 547) indicating that higher SDI corresponds to lower MIR and lower mortality rates. Conclusion These findings highlight the need for evidence-based interventions to reduce cancer-related mortality and disease burden among children and adolescents, particularly in low-income countries within the region and for cancer types with the highest mortality rates. Additionally, efforts should focus on establishing registries to provide up-to-date national data on cancer incidence and mortality in countries within the region. *Correspondence: Basema Saddik [bsaddik@sharjah.ac.ae](bsaddik@sharjah.ac.ae); [basema.saddik@gmail.com](basema.saddik@gmail.com) Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creati](http://creati)[vecommons.org/l](vecommons.org/l)icenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Shukla et al. BMC Public

FAQs

What is the study’s primary objective for pediatric and adolescent cancers in the MENA region?

To assess whether discrepancies in cancer incidence and cancer mortality among children and adolescents exist across countries in the MENA region, accounting for differences in development and socioeconomic context.

How were survival-related differences estimated in the study?

The study calculated mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIR) as a proxy measure of survival for each cancer type and country, and assessed associations with socioeconomic variables.

What relationships did the study find between SDI and cancer outcomes?

A negative correlation was reported between a country’s SDI and MIR and between SDI and mortality rates, indicating that higher SDI corresponded to lower MIR and lower mortality.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Theodora