Childhood Cancer Mortality Decreasing But Incidence Increasing in Canada

A new study from Statistics Canada has found that childhood cancer mortality is decreasing, while the incidence of cancer is slowly increasing.

The study covers cancer incidence and mortality among Canadian youth under the age of 15 from 1992 to 2010.

Researchers found that between 1992 to 2010, the age-standardized rate of childhood cancer death decreased by an average of 2% per year. Also, the age-standardized incidence rate increased by an average of 0.4 percent annually.

The study also reveals that an average of 905 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in children under the age of 15 in each year from 2006 to 2010. An average of 129 children died from cancer annually.

According to the study, Leukemias are the most commonly diagnosed cancer among children, making up just under one-third of all childhood cancer cases from 2006 to 2010. The second most commonly diagnosed cancer were cancers of the central nervous system, and the third most commonly diagnosed cancer were lymphomas.



Source: Medindia