Key Takeaways
- In the United States, about 15,950 children and adolescents under age 20 are diagnosed with cancer each year, with leukemia being the most common type accounting for 28% of cases.
- Globally, childhood cancer incidence is estimated at 397,000 new cases annually among children aged 0-19 years, with 90% occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
- In Europe, the annual incidence rate of childhood cancer (0-14 years) is 140 per million, with boys having a slightly higher rate of 148 per million compared to 131 per million for girls.
- The 5-year survival rate for all childhood cancers combined in the US has improved from 58% in the mid-1970s to 86% during 2014-2020.
- In high-income countries, 80% of children with cancer survive at least 5 years post-diagnosis, compared to less than 20% in low-income countries.
- US survival for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children under 5 is 94%, versus 90% for ages 10-14.
- In 2022, US federal funding for pediatric cancer research through NCI was $314 million.
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital invests over $1.4 million daily in childhood cancer research.
- Globally, only 4% of cancer research funding is allocated to childhood cancers despite 1% of all cancer incidence.
- CAR-T cell therapy trials for childhood ALL have enrolled over 200 patients with 80% remission in relapsed cases.
- Imatinib (Gleevec) increased survival in Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL from 20% to 70%.
- Proton beam therapy reduces radiation exposure by 50% in brain tumors compared to traditional radiotherapy.
- Approximately 500,000 childhood cancer survivors live in the US, representing 1 in 810 young adults.
- Childhood cancer accounts for less than 1% of all new cancer diagnoses but 12% of cancer deaths in those under 20 in high-income countries.
- In the US, childhood cancer mortality declined 69% from 1970 to 2020, from 4.5 to 1.4 per 100,000.
Global childhood cancer rates are stark, but research progress saves many young lives.
Incidence and Prevalence
Incidence and Prevalence Interpretation
Mortality and Survivors
Mortality and Survivors Interpretation
Research Funding
Research Funding Interpretation
Survival Rates
Survival Rates Interpretation
Treatment and Therapies
Treatment and Therapies Interpretation
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