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Survival of children with Wilms' tumour in Europe
I Plesko1, E Kramárová, C A Stiller
1National Cancer Registry, National Cancer Institute, Klenová 1, 833 10 Bratislava, Slovakia. plesko@adamsoft.sk
Insights
Survival rates for Wilms tumour in children have improved significantly across Europe. Advances in chemotherapy are credited with this positive trend, though disparities between countries remain.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Epidemiology
- Cancer Survival Rates
Background:
- Wilms tumour is a significant pediatric cancer.
- International collaboration is crucial for understanding cancer survival trends.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze Wilms tumour survival rates in European children.
- To identify geographical disparities in pediatric cancer survival.
- To assess trends in Wilms tumour survival over time.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 34 population-based cancer registries across 16 European countries.
- Included 2535 cases of Wilms tumour in children aged 0-14 years (1978-1992).
- Followed patients until the end of 1994, calculating 5-year observed survival rates.
Main Results:
- Overall 5-year survival for children diagnosed between 1985-1989 was 83%.
- Significant survival differences were noted between European countries, with lower rates in Estonia, Poland, and Slovakia.
- European survival rates were slightly lower than those reported in the USA and Australia.
Conclusions:
- Wilms tumour survival has significantly increased across Europe over the study period.
- Improvements in treatment, especially new chemotherapeutic agents, are key drivers of this trend.
- Further improvements are possible, indicated by comparisons with US and Australian data.
Abstract:
A total 2535 cases of Wilms' tumours registered in children aged 0--14 years by 34 population-based cancer registries in 16 countries of Europe in 1978--1992 and followed-up until the end of 1994 were included in this EUROCARE study. Overall 5-year observed survival of all children diagnosed in 1985--1989 was 83%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 80--85. Relatively large differences were observed between the European countries, with significantly lower survival of patients registered in the formerly socialist countries, Estonia, Poland and Slovakia. Overall European survival was slightly lower in comparison with results reported from the USA and Australia, which demonstrate a potential for improvement. Over the study period, overall survival adjusted for age, sex and country has increased significantly. This favourable trend is attributed primarily to improvements in treatment, particularly to the introduction of new chemotherapeutic agents.