Population based survival rates for childhood cancer in Britain, 1980-91

• Published in: BMJ Vol. 309; no. 6969; pp. 1612 - 1616
• Main Author: Stiller, C A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England British Medical Journal Publishing Group 17.12.1994; British Medical Association; BMJ Publishing Group Ltd; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Adolescent; Cancer; Cancer in children; Child; Child, Preschool; Childhood; Childhood cancer; Children; Ewings sarcoma; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Germ cells; Hodgkin disease; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Leukemia; Leukemia - mortality; Lymphoma - mortality; Male; Mortality - trends; Neoplasia; Neoplasms - mortality; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal - mortality; Nervous System Neoplasms - mortality; Neuroblastoma; Prognosis; Registries; Retrospective Studies; Sarcoma - mortality; Survival Rate; Survival rates; United Kingdom - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0959-8138; 1468-5833; 1756-1833
• DOI: 10.1136/bmj.309.6969.1612

Abstract Objectives: To investigate the survival of children with cancer diagnosed during 1980-91 in order to assess the impact of developments in medical care on a population basis. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Great Britain. Subjects—14 973 children with cancer diagnosed during 1980-91 and included in the population based National Registry of Childhood Tumours. Main outcome measures: Actuarial survival rates. Results: For all cancers combined, two year survival increased from 66% to 76% between 1980-2 and 1989-91, and five year survival increased from 57% to 65% between 1980-2 and 1986-8. Significant increases in survival rates occurred among children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, acute nonlymphocytic leukaemia, retinoblastoma, osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and malignant gonadal germ cell tumours. No trend in survival was seen for children with Hodgkin's disease, central nervous system tumours, neuroblastoma, or Wilms's tumour. Conclusions: Nearly two thirds of children who have cancer diagnosed can now expect to survive at least 10 years.