Abstract
Objective: To analyze the epidemiological profile of childhood cancer in the state of Paraíba. Methods: The investigation was carried out by means of a documental, descriptive and transversal study, with a quantitative approach .The data collection was performed making using of the information available on the internet, on the National Cancer Institute website. The instrument used for the data collection was a form containing the type of neoplasm, gender and most affected age group. This data was compiled in Microsoft Excel and the analysis was carried out by means of descriptive statistics. Results: The findings indicated that the most incident type of cancer in children from the State of Paraíba, regardless of gender and over one year of age, corresponds to the leukemias, which are classified as group I; those of the central nervous system, group III and the lymphomas, group II, respectively. In relation to the group under one year of age, it was observed a higher prevalence in the female gender in the groups I, II, V, VI and IX, whereas in the male gender the highest prevalence was found in the group III. However, it is valid to point out that in relation to the group I, despite the higher prevalence in the female gender, the male group also had a considerable rate, with a small difference between them. Conclusion: The incidence of the most varied types of tumors in the pediatric population is different regarding age group and gender, making its epidemiological profile considerably diversified.