Characteristics of cancer patients under the age of 20 at medical centers in Israel and the West Bank: a preliminary study.

This paper describes the demographic experience on 373 young cancer patients (less than 20 years of age) at two oncology centers initiated in Israel by one medical team in 1975-1977. These units are the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center (AHMC), which predominantly serves a Jewish population (103 cases); and the West Bank Cancer Unit (WBCU), which provides similar care services to the Arab population of the West Bank (270 cases). The two centers have the unique feature of serving two populations residing in close relationship but still differing in many cultural and socioeconomic characteristics.

Cancer patterns at medical centers in Israel and the West Bank.

This paper describes the oncological experience on 7,216 patients at two cancer units initiated by one medical team in 1975-1977 at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Israel (predominantly serving a Jewish population, 4,671 cases) and at the West Bank Cancer Unit (WBCU), which serves an Arab population (2,545 cases). The two centers have the unique feature of serving two populations residing in close geographic proximity but differing in many cultural and socioeconomic characteristics. Data from the ongoing cancer registries in these two centers are summarized and compare the demographic characteristics of the two study groups, anatomic sites of cancer, methods of diagnosis and extent of disease.