Summarizing Scientific Evidence of Neoplastic Lesions Among Children and Adolescents: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Blood cells and supporting tissues are typically affected by neoplastic lesions, which mostly damage embryonic tissue in adolescents and children. The purpose of this study was to collect the scientific information that was accessible about the frequency of neoplastic lesions in children and adolescents. A systematic review was conducted using four different databases and grey literature to collect relevant articles through a systematic search, using PRISMA guidelines. Studies on the prevalence of neoplastic lesions among adolescents and children were included in this review. Risk bias assessment was done using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and evidence certainty was assessed using the GRADE approach. Medcalc software was used for meta-analysis of the included studies with a 95% Confidence interval. A total of 43 studies were included in this study for meta-analysis. Neoplastic lesions were present in 1.93% (n = 1,100; 95% CI = 1.21%-2.80%) of the 64,522 biopsies. Most cases were found in regions with low socioeconomic profiles. The most prevalent neoplastic lesions were rhabdomyosarcoma (10.53%; 95% CI = 7.28%-14.30%) and nonspecific lymphomas (12.08%; 95% CI = 5.73%-20.37%). The sample size had no effect on the occurrence of oral malignancies. The most common neoplastic lesions found in children and adolescents who had biopsies were lymphomas and sarcomas, with a frequency of less than 3%.