Peer-reviewed article
Trends in survival for children with brain tumors, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and lymphomas in Japan, 2000-14 (CONCORD-3).
Nakata K, Di Carlo V, Matz M, Sugiyama H, Oki I et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines survival trends for children aged 0-14 years diagnosed with brain tumors, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or lymphomas in Japan between 2000 and 2014. It found that survival for acute lymphoblastic leukemia improved significantly over the period, while survival for brain tumors and lymphomas remained relatively stable. Survival rates in Japan were lower than in some Western countries for these conditions.
Key points
- Five-year net survival for acute lymphoblastic leukemia improved from 79.7% in 2000-4 to 87.6% in 2010-14
- During 2010-14, age-standardized 5-year net survival was 69.6% for brain tumors, 87.6% for ALL, and 89.6% for lymphomas
- No notable survival trends were observed for brain tumors or lymphomas over the study period
- Japan's survival rates for these three childhood cancers were lower than in several Western countries
- Study analysed data from 16 Japanese regional population-based cancer registries covering 1293 brain tumours, 1438 cases of ALL, and 508 lymphomas
Limitations
This is an observational study using cancer registry data focused on survival outcomes rather than measures of child well-being or quality of life. The document does not evaluate whether interventions improve children's overall health, development, or well-being beyond cancer survival rates.
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.