Study shows more kids in China surviving cancer

The survival prospects for children and adolescents with cancer in China have improved markedly, with the overall five-year survival rate reaching 77.2 percent and outcomes for some cancer types exceeding international standards, according to a study published recently in the medical journal The Lancet.

The study, led by researchers from Beijing Children's Hospital, affiliated with Capital Medical University, also identified significant regional disparities in survival and recommended measures such as establishing regional pediatric cancer centers, standardizing referral systems and using artificial intelligence-assisted diagnostics to narrow the gaps.

Ni Xin, president of the hospital and the study's lead author, said the research is the first systematic analysis of cancer survival trends among Chinese patients aged 19 and younger. It covered nearly 95,200 cases diagnosed between 2018 and 2020.

The findings show a five-year survival rate of 77.8 percent for children under 14 and 75.3 percent for adolescents aged 15 to 19. Girls had a higher survival rate at 79 percent, compared with 75.8 percent for boys.

China's five-year survival rates for the six childhood cancers prioritized under the World Health Organization's Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer 2030 all exceeded 80 percent, with the highest reaching 93.8 percent — well above the WHO's target of 60 percent.

The six cancers — acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumor and low-grade glioma — account for 50 to 60 percent of all childhood cancers and are considered highly treatable with proven therapies.

Researchers said China has made substantial progress in improving survival for common childhood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, with outcomes for neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma and Hodgkin lymphoma now approaching those seen in high-income countries.

They attributed the gains to sustained reforms in healthcare coverage, improved cross-provincial medical reimbursement, policies supporting patients with serious illnesses, standardized treatment protocols and the development of a nationwide collaborative treatment network.

However, the study also highlighted persistent survival gaps linked to regional socioeconomic development. Overall cancer survival ranged from 72.6 percent in low-development regions to 84.9 percent in high-development regions, with disparities more pronounced among adolescents than younger children.

About 23.5 percent of patients sought initial treatment outside their home regions, and those patients faced significantly lower mortality risks than those treated locally. The survival difference between patients who traveled across provinces and those who did not reached as much as 18.2 percent, the study found.

"These findings highlight China's contribution to global efforts to meet the WHO global initiative," the researchers wrote. "Despite this achievement, substantial regional disparities in survival remain, driven by structural and multifaceted factors including uneven healthcare resource distribution, financial hardship, and gaps in insurance and social support systems."

To address these inequalities, the study proposed targeted measures such as building regional pediatric cancer centers, standardizing referral pathways and deploying artificial intelligence to improve diagnostics in resource-limited settings.

"These efforts are especially important for cancers with significant unmet needs, including leukemias, hepatic tumors, malignant bone tumors and soft tissue sarcomas, particularly among adolescents," the researchers said. "Health systems should also ensure continuity of care during the transition from childhood to adolescence and from adolescence to adulthood."

wangxiaoyu@chinadaily.com.cn