According to a Cancer Research Facility in the UK, the number of childhood deaths related to cancer has dropped by up to 74% during the past 10 years. This development is owed mostly to breakthroughs and advancements in drug production and treatment strategies.
Researchers noted that around a decade ago, more than 300 children die each year from different types of cancers. This figure has now dropped to just over 200 annually, which is about a 22% drop overall. The successful drop in the number of deaths is more noticeable in some cancers including chronic myeloid leukemia that has a 74% drop, liver cancer with 26%, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with 35%. Researchers compared this data to that of ten years ago when over 100 children died each year because of various forms of leukemia, which is the most commonly occurring cancer in children. In contrast, however, experts say that there has only been a slight improvement in cases of bone and brain cancers.
Prof. Pam Kearns, Director of the Clinical Trials Unit at Cancer Research UK said that, "It's very encouraging to see that fewer children are dying of cancer, but a lot more needs to be done. There are still a number of cancers where progress has been limited--such as brain tumors. Many children who survived cancer will live with the long-term side effects of their treatment that can have an impact throughout their adult lives, so it's vital that we find kinder and even more effective treatments for them."
Experts agree that the current success against childhood cancers is due mostly to combination chemotherapy. Radiotherapy and imaging techniques have also seen significant advancements during the last 10 years, effectively contributing to more accurate detection, diagnosis, localization, and targeting of tumors. These factors have all come together to improve the survival rate of children affected with cancer.
