Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in infants treated at the Oncological Hospital, Solca Portoviejo during the period 2019 to 2023

Abstract

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most frequent neoplasm in the pediatric population, especially those of B-lineage. In Ecuador, the prevalence is higher in children between 2 and 6 years old, with a predominance in males; the most affected areas are Guayas and Portoviejo. It is crucial to describe Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in infants treated at the Solca Portoviejo Oncology Hospital during the 2019-2023 period. The methodology consisted of a descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study with a mixed-method (quantitative-qualitative) approach. A total of 67 infant samples were analyzed, showing the highest prevalence of cases in 2019 (22.4%). The most frequent diagnosis was the B-cell precursor subtype (97.0%); likewise, the male gender predominated at 53.7%. The most affected age group was 4-year-olds (29.9%), and a significant presence of cases was established in the cities of Portoviejo (20.9%) and Manta (19.4%). It was concluded that lymphoblastic leukemia cases occur more frequently in 4-year-old children. It is recommended to optimize and evaluate primary care services to guarantee the health and well-being of infants, thereby proposing an improvement in their quality of life.