Global childhood cancer cases soar
Global childhood cancer cases soared, according to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study published Wednesday in The Lancet. In 2023 alone, there were 377,000 new cases of childhood cancer and 144,000 deaths worldwide. Since 1990, new cases have been relatively stable globally, and deaths have decreased by 27 per cent.
The majority of childhood cancer burden in 2023 was in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with 85 per cent of new cases, 94 per cent of deaths, and 94 per cent of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The WHO Western Pacific Region and WHO African Region had the greatest numbers of cases in 2023, while WHO African Region had the most deaths, which increased almost 56 per cent from 1990 to 2023. The cancer types with the greatest burden globally in 2023 were leukemias, brain/central nervous system cancers and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Nearly half of all childhood cancer deaths in 2023 were estimated to come from the six WHO GICC index cancers.
Lisa Force, MD, MPH, lead author from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine said, "While outcomes for many childhood cancers have improved in high-income countries, these gains have not been equitably shared." Nickhill Bhakta, MD, MPH, St. Jude Global, said, "St. Jude has made significant commitments, in partnership with World Health Organization (WHO), to improving global childhood cancer survival to at least 60% by 2030 through investments in the
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A new global study examines the rising rates of childhood cancer around the world. The study highlights the disparities in care and outcomes, particularly for children in low- and middle-income countries - hinting at a global health crisis.
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