The Canadian Childhood Cancer Surveillance and Control Program (CCCSCP)

Childhood cancer is a relatively small portion of all cancers (approx. 1%). But it remains the most common disease-related cause of death in children and adolescents aged 1 to 19 and the second leading cause of all deaths among children aged 1 to 14. For this reason, childhood cancer represents an important health problem with implications that include loss of life (30% of cases), long and short term effects (both psychosocial and physical) of treatment, emotional trauma for individuals and families and the long and short term economic impact on the health care system.

The Canadian Childhood Cancer Surveillance and Control Program (CCCSCP) is a partnership between health care providers, researchers, consumers, provincial/territorial and federal governments, voluntary agencies, universities and organizations concerned with cancer in Canada's children. It aims to examine the implications of childhood cancer on Canada's health care system and fill gaps in knowledge about the control of childhood cancer. Its goal is to contribute toward reducing mortality, improving the prognosis, and reducing the suffering and burden of childhood cancer.

The CCCSCP plans to accomplish these goals through the following activities:

• Produce accurate data on the incidence of childhood cancer in Canada, especially the severity of disease at diagnosis (e.g. stage);
• Evaluate access to state-of-the-art care and clinical outcomes in a national population-based setting;
• Identify the psychosocial and physical long-term effects of survivors;
• Estimate the medical costs of childhood cancer to the Canadian health care system;
• Identify risk factors for developing childhood cancer;
• Disseminate relevant information to stakeholders and the general public.