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Journal ArticleDOI

Paediatric cancer in low-income and middle-income countries

TL;DR: This work discusses childhood cancer in relation to global development and proposes strategies that could result in improved survival and education of the public, more and better-trained health professionals, strengthened cancer services, locally relevant research, regional hospital networks, international collaboration, and health insurance are all essential components of an enhanced model of care.
Abstract: Summary Patterns of cancer incidence across the world have undergone substantial changes as a result of industrialisation and economic development. However, the economies of most countries remain at an early or intermediate stage of development—these stages are characterised by poverty, too few health-care providers, weak health systems, and poor access to education, modern technology, and health care because of scattered rural populations. Low-income and middle-income countries also have younger populations and therefore a larger proportion of children with cancer than high-income countries. Most of these children die from the disease. Chronic infections, which remain the most common causes of disease-related death in all except high-income countries, can also be major risk factors for childhood cancer in poorer regions. We discuss childhood cancer in relation to global development and propose strategies that could result in improved survival. Education of the public, more and better-trained health professionals, strengthened cancer services, locally relevant research, regional hospital networks, international collaboration, and health insurance are all essential components of an enhanced model of care.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: For most cancers, 5-year net survival remains among the highest in the world in the USA and Canada, in Australia and New Zealand, and in Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, while for many cancers, Denmark is closing the survival gap with the other Nordic countries.

2,756 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This unique global source of childhood cancer incidence will be used for aetiological research and to inform public health policy, potentially contributing towards attaining several targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Abstract: Summary Background Cancer is a major cause of death in children worldwide, and the recorded incidence tends to increase with time. Internationally comparable data on childhood cancer incidence in the past two decades are scarce. This study aimed to provide internationally comparable local data on the incidence of childhood cancer to promote research of causes and implementation of childhood cancer control. Methods This population-based registry study, devised by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in collaboration with the International Association of Cancer Registries, collected data on all malignancies and non-malignant neoplasms of the CNS diagnosed before age 20 years in populations covered by high-quality cancer registries with complete data for 2001–10. Incidence rates per million person-years for the 0–14 years and 0–19 years age groups were age-adjusted using the world standard population to provide age-standardised incidence rates (WSRs), using the age-specific incidence rates (ASR) for individual age groups (0–4 years, 5–9 years, 10–14 years, and 15–19 years). All rates were reported for 19 geographical areas or ethnicities by sex, age group, and cancer type. The regional WSRs for children aged 0–14 years were compared with comparable data obtained in the 1980s. Findings Of 532 invited cancer registries, 153 registries from 62 countries, departments, and territories met quality standards, and contributed data for the entire decade of 2001–10. 385 509 incident cases in children aged 0–19 years occurring in 2·64 billion person-years were included. The overall WSR was 140·6 per million person-years in children aged 0–14 years (based on 284 649 cases), and the most common cancers were leukaemia (WSR 46·4), followed by CNS tumours (WSR 28·2), and lymphomas (WSR 15·2). In children aged 15–19 years (based on 100 860 cases), the ASR was 185·3 per million person-years, the most common being lymphomas (ASR 41·8) and the group of epithelial tumours and melanoma (ASR 39·5). Incidence varied considerably between and within the described regions, and by cancer type, sex, age, and racial and ethnic group. Since the 1980s, the global WSR of registered cancers in children aged 0–14 years has increased from 124·0 (95% CI 123·3–124·7) to 140·6 (140·1–141·1) per million person-years. Interpretation This unique global source of childhood cancer incidence will be used for aetiological research and to inform public health policy, potentially contributing towards attaining several targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. The observed geographical, racial and ethnic, age, sex, and temporal variations require constant monitoring and research. Funding International Agency for Research on Cancer and the Union for International Cancer Control.

954 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This Review analyzes four studies of the global cancer burden that included data for children and adolescents and proposes several recommendations to strengthen data collection and standardise analyses that could help stakeholders to develop plans for national and institutional cancer programmes.
Abstract: 5-year net survival of children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer is approximately 80% in many high-income countries. This estimate is encouraging as it shows the substantial progress that has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancer. Unfortunately, scarce data are available for low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), where nearly 90% of children with cancer reside, suggesting that global survival estimates are substantially worse in these regions. As LMICs are undergoing a rapid epidemiological transition, with a shifting burden from infectious diseases to non-communicable diseases, cancer care for all ages has become a global focus. To improve outcomes for children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer worldwide, an accurate appraisal of the global burden of childhood cancer is a necessary first step. In this Review, we analyse four studies of the global cancer burden that included data for children and adolescents. Each study used various overlapping and non-overlapping statistical approaches and outcome metrics. Moreover, to provide guidance on improving future estimates of the childhood global cancer burden, we propose several recommendations to strengthen data collection and standardise analyses. Ultimately, these data could help stakeholders to develop plans for national and institutional cancer programmes, with the overall aim of helping to reduce the global burden of cancer in children and adolescents.

199 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The introduction of drugs that are less toxic and more targeted than those currently used necessitates a partnership between clinical and translational researchers, the pharmaceutical industry, drug regulators, and patients and their families to ensure that efforts are focused on the unmet clinical needs of young people with cancer.
Abstract: Cancer in children and adolescents is rare and biologically very different from cancer in adults. It accounts for 1·4% of all cancers worldwide, although this proportion ranges from 0·5% in Europe to 4·8% in Africa, largely because of differences in age composition and life expectancy. In high-income countries, survival from childhood cancer has reached 80% through a continuous focus on the integration of clinical research into front-line care for nearly all children affected by malignant disease. However, further improvement must entail new biology-driven approaches, since optimisation of conventional treatments has in many cases reached its limits. In many instances, such approaches can only be achieved through international collaborative research, since rare cancers are being subdivided into increasingly smaller subgroups on the basis of their molecular characteristics. The long-term effect of anticancer treatment on quality of life must also be taken into account because more than one in 1000 adults in high-income countries are thought to be survivors of cancer in childhood or adolescence. The introduction of drugs that are less toxic and more targeted than those currently used necessitates a partnership between clinical and translational researchers, the pharmaceutical industry, drug regulators, and patients and their families. This therapeutic alliance will ensure that efforts are focused on the unmet clinical needs of young people with cancer. Most children with cancer live in low-income and middle-income countries, and these countries account for 94% of all deaths from cancer in people aged 0-14 years. The immediate priority for these children is to improve access to an affordable, best standard of care in each country. Every country should have a national cancer plan that recognises the unique demographic characteristics and care needs of young people with cancer. Centralisation of the complex components of treatment of these rare diseases is essential to improve survival, accelerate research, and train the future specialist workforce. Referral routes and care pathways must take account of the large geographical distances between many patients' homes and treatment centres, and the economic, cultural, and linguistic diversity of the populations served.

191 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a microsimulation model to simulate childhood cancer incidence for 200 countries and territories worldwide, taking into account trends in population growth and urbanicity, geographical variation in cancer incidence, and health system barriers to access and referral that contribute to underdiagnosis.
Abstract: Summary Background Accurate estimates of childhood cancer incidence are important for policy makers to inform priority setting and planning decisions. However, many countries do not have cancer registries that quantify the incidence of childhood cancer. Moreover, even when registries do exist, they might substantially underestimate the true incidence, since children with cancer might not be diagnosed. We therefore aimed to provide estimates of total childhood cancer incidence accounting for underdiagnosis. Methods We developed a microsimulation model to simulate childhood cancer incidence for 200 countries and territories worldwide, taking into account trends in population growth and urbanicity, geographical variation in cancer incidence, and health system barriers to access and referral that contribute to underdiagnosis. To ensure model results were consistent with epidemiological data, we calibrated the model to publicly available cancer registry data using a Bayesian approach in which the observed data are fixed and the model parameters (cancer incidence and probabilities of health system access and referral) are random variables. We estimated the total incidence of childhood cancer (diagnosed and undiagnosed) in each country in 2015 and projected the number of cases from 2015 to 2030. Findings Our model estimated that there were 397 000 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 377 000–426 000) incident cases of childhood cancer worldwide in 2015, of which only 224 000 (95% UI 216 000–237 000) were diagnosed. This finding suggests that 43% (172 000 of 397 000) of childhood cancer cases were undiagnosed globally, with substantial variation by region, ranging from 3% in western Europe (120 of 4300) and North America (300 of 10 900) to 57% (43 000 of 76 000) in western Africa. In south Asia (including southeastern Asia and south-central Asia), the overall proportion of undiagnosed cases was estimated to be 49% (67 000 of 137 000). Taking into account population projections, we estimated that there will be 6·7 million (95% UI 6·3–7·2) cases of childhood cancer worldwide from 2015 to 2030. At current levels of health system performance, we estimated that 2·9 million (95% UI 2·7–3·3) cases of childhood cancer will be missed between 2015 and 2030. Interpretation Childhood cancer is substantially underdiagnosed, especially in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (including western, eastern, and southern Africa). In addition to improving treatment for childhood cancer, health systems must be strengthened to accurately diagnose and effectively care for all children with cancer. As countries expand universal health coverage, these estimates of total incidence will hopefully help guide efforts to appropriately increase health system capacity to ensure access to effective childhood cancer care. Funding Boston Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, National Cancer Institute, SickKids, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Union for International Cancer Control.

188 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results for 20 world regions are presented, summarizing the global patterns for the eight most common cancers, and striking differences in the patterns of cancer from region to region are observed.
Abstract: Estimates of the worldwide incidence and mortality from 27 cancers in 2008 have been prepared for 182 countries as part of the GLOBOCAN series published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. In this article, we present the results for 20 world regions, summarizing the global patterns for the eight most common cancers. Overall, an estimated 12.7 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths occur in 2008, with 56% of new cancer cases and 63% of the cancer deaths occurring in the less developed regions of the world. The most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide are lung (1.61 million, 12.7% of the total), breast (1.38 million, 10.9%) and colorectal cancers (1.23 million, 9.7%). The most common causes of cancer death are lung cancer (1.38 million, 18.2% of the total), stomach cancer (738,000 deaths, 9.7%) and liver cancer (696,000 deaths, 9.2%). Cancer is neither rare anywhere in the world, nor mainly confined to high-resource countries. Striking differences in the patterns of cancer from region to region are observed.

21,040 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There is clear evidence of an increase of cancer incidence in childhood and adolescence during the past decades, and of an acceleration of this trend, as well as providing an indicator of progress of public-health policy in Europe.

531 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Questions about ionising radiation, as well as how chemical agents, including therapeutic substances, might contribute to leukaemogenesis, are discussed in this last article in the leukaemia series.

455 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Evidence indicates that Seguro Popular is improving access to health services and reducing the prevalence of catastrophic and impoverishing health expenditures, especially for the poor, and recent studies also show improvement in effective coverage.

440 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
02 May 2012-JAMA
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined fundamental characteristics of interventional clinical trials registered in the ClinicalTrialsgov database and identified the three clinical specialties (cardiovascular, mental health and oncology) that together encompass the largest number of disability-adjusted life-years lost in the United States.
Abstract: Context Recent reports highlight gaps between guidelines-based treatment recommendations and evidence from clinical trials that supports those recommendations Strengthened reporting requirements for studies registered with ClinicalTrialsgov enable a comprehensive evaluation of the national trials portfolio Objective To examine fundamental characteristics of interventional clinical trials registered in the ClinicalTrialsgov database Methods A data set comprising 96 346 clinical studies from ClinicalTrialsgov was downloaded on September 27, 2010, and entered into a relational database to analyze aggregate data Interventional trials were identified and analyses were focused on 3 clinical specialties—cardiovascular, mental health, and oncology—that together encompass the largest number of disability-adjusted life-years lost in the United States Main Outcome Measures Characteristics of registered clinical trials as reported data elements in the trial registry; how those characteristics have changed over time; differences in characteristics as a function of clinical specialty; and factors associated with use of randomization, blinding, and data monitoring committees (DMCs) Results The number of registered interventional clinical trials increased from 28 881 (October 2004–September 2007) to 40 970 (October 2007–September 2010), and the number of missing data elements has generally declined Most interventional trials registered between 2007 and 2010 were small, with 62% enrolling 100 or fewer participants Many clinical trials were single-center (66%; 24 788/37 520) and funded by organizations other than industry or the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (47%; 17 592/37 520) Heterogeneity in the reported methods by clinical specialty; sponsor type; and the reported use of DMCs, randomization, and blinding was evident For example, reported use of DMCs was less common in industry-sponsored vs NIH-sponsored trials (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 011; 95% CI, 009-014), earlier-phase vs phase 3 trials (adjusted OR, 083; 95% CI, 076-091), and mental health trials vs those in the other 2 specialties In similar comparisons, randomization and blinding were less frequently reported in earlier-phase, oncology, and device trials Conclusion Clinical trials registered in ClinicalTrialsgov are dominated by small trials and contain significant heterogeneity in methodological approaches, including reported use of randomization, blinding, and DMCs

405 citations

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