Global inequalities in survival for childhood leukaemia persist

Although global inequalities in survival from childhood leukaemia have narrowed, they still persist with five-year survival in some countries nearly twice as high as in others for children diagnosed during 2005-2009, according to a study published in The Lancet Haematology.

While survival has increased in many countries, five-year survival for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in Germany was 92%, compared to 52% in Colombia for children diagnosed in 2005-2009. Additionally, the study finds that survival has improved for most age groups, but it remains lowest for infants under 1.

According to the latest data on global childhood cancer incidence, also published  in The Lancet Oncology, leukaemia is the most common cancer in children aged 0-14 years old worldwide – accounting for a third of cancer cases in 0-9 year olds, and a quarter of cases in 10-14 year olds.

The chances of survival depended on the child's age when diagnosed with leukaemia.