Childhood cancer survival increases by 6%, despite small rise in cases in young

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Leukaemia blood cells seen under a scanning electron micrograph. Leukaemia is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in children.
Leukaemia blood cells seen under a scanning electron micrograph. Leukaemia is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in children. Photograph: Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library/Corbis

Childhood cancer survival has increased in Australia by 6% over recent decades, despite a small unexplained rise in incidence rates among the very young.

About 640 children under the age of 15 are diagnosed with cancer every year, according to the latest snapshot by the Australian Paediatric Cancer Registry. Almost half of all cases are diagnosed in children under four.

The study by the registry, which is funded and managed by Cancer Council Queensland, shows there has been no significant change in incidence rates among children aged five to 14.

But for children under four, incidence rates increased, albeit slowly, at less than 1% a year. Experts cannot explain why and say more research is needed.

“We absolutely don’t know,” said Cancer Council Queensland spokeswoman Katie Clift. “We need more funding to do more research into that area, specifically into kids under four.”

The outlook for children diagnosed with cancer had improved in recent years, Clift said.

“It’s fantastic news that the mortality rate is decreasing and the survival rate is improving,” she said.

Overall childhood cancer mortality rates decreased by about 4% a year between 1998 and 2010.

Five-year survival for all childhood cancers improved from 76% between 1992 and 2001 to 82% for 2002-11. There were significant improvements in survival rates for leukaemia, lymphoma and neuroblastoma, Clift said. Drug treatments for leukemia and lymphoma have improved significantly in the past 10 years, but one in five children affected would still die within five years.

“That’s one in five too many,” she said.

Childhood cancer in Australia

  • Leukaemia is the most common type of cancer diagnosed
  • Boys are 16% more likely than girls to be diagnosed
  • Indigenous children are 36% less likely to be diagnosed with cancer than non-Indigenous
  • Survival was worse for children with cancer who lived in isolated areas.

(Source: Australian Paediatric Cancer Registry)