Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2026 Mar 20;56(Supplement_1):i116-i125. doi: 10.1093/jjco/hyaf143.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: We assessed survival trends for children with brain tumors, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and lymphomas from 16 Japanese regional population-based cancer registries participating in CONCORD-3.
METHODS: We analyzed data for children (0-14 years) diagnosed with a brain tumor, ALL, or lymphoma during 2000-14, with follow-up for at least 5 years after diagnosis or through 31 December 2014. Five-year net survival was estimated by calendar period of diagnosis, age group, and morphology group (for brain tumors), using the Pohar Perme estimator, and age standardized by assigning equal weights to the three age-specific estimates (0-4, 5-9, 10-14 years).
RESULTS: Data on children with a brain tumor (n = 1293), ALL (1438), or lymphoma (508) were eligible. During 2010-14, age-standardized 5-year net survival was 69.6% for brain tumors, 87.6% for ALL, and 89.6% for lymphomas. Survival for ALL was 79.7% in 2000-4, and 87.6% in 2010-14. There were no notable trends for brain tumors or lymphomas. Point estimates of survival for these three childhood cancers in Japan were lower than in several of the Western countries that participated in CONCORD-3.
CONCLUSIONS: The improved survival for ALL probably reflects improved treatment, whereas the lack of improvement for brain tumors may reflect the difficulty in developing more effective treatment strategies for these aggressive tumors. Treatment for lymphomas was established in the 2000s. To evaluate cancer care for children in Japan, we need to continue to monitor survival, using population-based cancer registry data.
PMID:41859885 | DOI:10.1093/jjco/hyaf143
