The first report on childhood cancer to also include adolescent and young adult cancer, was published this morning by National Cancer Registry Ireland.
- Childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer remains rare, with just under 370 cases per year on average
- However, incidence continues to increase, with cancer in 0-15 year olds increasing by 1.3% from 1996 – 2020 and 1.1% in 16-24 year olds.
- Five-year survival has increased from 82% (2002-2010 cases) to 87% (2011-2019) in 0-15 year olds and from 87% to 90% in 16-24 year olds.
We have access to excellent research, care and treatment here in Ireland and we want to thank all of those involved in treating and caring for our children and young people.
Data is power so it is good to see the level of information we have on childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer improving. There is still room for improvement and we need more data on long-term and late effects for survivors, on relapse, on stage of diagnosis and on mortality.
Having this information is crucial for those involved in planning and delivering healthcare to children and young people with cancer and research of these diseases. It’s also vital to those of us advocating for early diagnosis, improved access to treatment and for long-term follow up care.
We are so grateful that the population of survivors is growing. But now these survivors need and deserve a dedicated long-term follow up service (as is international best practice) to help them to truly thrive and achieve their best quality of life post treatment.
You will find a news article on the report here:
And you can read the report in full: https://www.ncri.ie/publications/cancer-trends-and-projections/cancer-trends-39-childhood-adolescent-and-young-adult
