Childhood Cancer Survival Rates Increase
A report (The Cancer Survival In England For Patients Diagnosed Between 2015 and 2019 publication), uses National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS) data, from NHS Digital shows that the 5-year cancer survival rate for 0 - 14 year olds increased over time, from 76.2% in 2002 to 85.2% in 2019, its highest recorded level. This increase also held true for that age group across 1-year survival rates, from 89.7% in 2002 to 93.2% in 2019. The 10-year survival rates have also seen an increase, from 74.6% in 2002 to 81.9% in 2019.
Childhood cancers accounted for 0.3% of all new cancer diagnosis registered in 2019, with the majority of cases being either leukaemia, malignant neoplasms of the brain or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Adult cancers that were newly diagnosed between the 2015 and 2019 calendar years and in children that were newly diagnosed between 2002 and 2019, were included in the survey. The breakdown included adult survival by geography, sex, deprivation and diagnosis stage.
For the first time deprivation breakdowns have been included in the report. This shows that for most cancer types, the net survival rate was lowest in the most deprived areas and highest in the least deprived. The largest deprivation difference in 1-year age standardised net survival rates, was seen in women, with bladder cancer, where the variation was 13.4% between those women living in the most deprived areas (58.4%) and those in the least deprived areas (71.8%).
