Childhood Cancer Epidemiology and Survival Outcomes

Childhood cancer, defined as malignancies arising before age 20, remains a leading cause of disease-related death despite advances in diagnosis and therapy. Global incidence has shown a modest upward trend, reflecting improved case ascertainment and possible environmental and genetic factors. Leukaemias account for the largest proportion of cases, followed by central nervous system tumours and lymphomas, with incidence patterns varying by age group and region. Survival outcomes have improved dramatically in high-income settings, with five-year survival rates now approaching or exceeding 80% for many common childhood cancers. However, this success is unevenly distributed: in low- and middle-income countries survival often remains below 50%, driven by delayed presentation, limited diagnostic capacity, treatment abandonment and economic hardship. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) quantify the substantial burden borne by socially and economically vulnerable populations. Robust population-based cancer registries, mortality-to-incidence ratios and net-survival metrics underpin epidemiological surveillance, guiding resource allocation, health policy and efforts to close the global survival gap.

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Childhood Cancer Epidemiology and Survival Outcomes publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in childhood cancer epidemiology and survival outcomes across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Incidence: Number of new cancer cases in a defined population over a specified period.

5-year net survival: Probability of surviving at least five years after diagnosis, adjusting for competing mortality.

Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs): Combined measure of years of life lost due to premature mortality and years lived with disability.

Mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR): Ratio of deaths to new cases, used as a crude indicator of survival and healthcare performance.

Population-based cancer registry: Systematic collection of data on all cancer cases in a defined geographic area to monitor incidence and outcomes.

References

1. The global burden of childhood and adolescent cancer in 2017: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet Oncology (2019).
2. Worldwide comparison of survival from childhood leukaemia for 1995–2009, by subtype, age, and sex (CONCORD-2): a population-based study of individual data for 89 828 children from 198 registries in 53 countries. The Lancet Haematology (2017).
3. Changing geographical patterns and trends in cancer incidence in children and adolescents in Europe, 1991–2010 (Automated Childhood Cancer Information System): a population-based study. The Lancet Oncology (2018).