A Health Surveillance Update on Canadian Children and Youth

AUTHORS:
H. Morrison, PhD
D. Schanzer, MSc

Childhood Cancer

Although rare, childhood cancer is the most common potentially fatal illness in Canadian children. Of 1,097 deaths reported in 1996 in Canadian children 1-14 years of age, 179 or 16.3% of all deaths in this age group were attributed to cancer, second only to injuries as the leading cause of death in this population. The three indicators selected, childhood cancer incidence, mortality and survival, provide three important perspectives on the impact of cancer on the health of Canadian children. Despite a relatively stable childhood cancer incidence over the past 15 years, there has been a significant decrease in the childhood cancer mortality rate. The third indicator, childhood cancer survival, is an additional indicator that provides valuable information on the effectiveness of cancer treatment for children. As described, the prognosis for children affected by cancer has steadily improved, and now more than two-thirds of children diagnosed with cancer will survive at least 10 years. The childhood cancer data presented in this report are limited to children aged 14 years and younger. This age category is consistent with how childhood cancer surveillance data are reported internationally, and reflects data availability within Canada.

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