More Canadian children with cancer are surviving, according to released today by the Canadian Cancer Society. For all childhood cancers combined, the five-year survival rate is estimated to be 82 per cent — an increase of 11 per cent over 15 years.

“Increased survival rates are obviously good news for everyone,” said Anne McTiernan-Gamble, Executive Director of the Canadian Cancer Society, New Brunswick. “This dramatic increase since the mid-1980s is attributed to significant progress in cancer research.”

According to , approximately 850 Canadian children between birth and 14 years of age develop cancer each year, and about 135 die from the disease. Although rare, cancer remains the leading cause of death from disease in Canadian children over one month of age and as such, it is of public health importance.

“A childhood cancer diagnosis is a terrible blow to a family and it can impact them in numerous ways,” Ms. McTiernan-Gamble said. “There is a very rapid change in their lives that involves dealing with the complicated web of medical treatment, and traveling to treatment facilities. Many parents are forced to work less, or stop working altogether in order to care for their child, and as such significant financial stress is often added to the mix.”

The Canadian Cancer Society, New Brunswick supports families of children with cancer in a number of ways, offering support, information and financial assistance: Support and information are available to families through cancer.ca and over the phone through CancerConnection; Financial assistance is available for those who must travel for cancer treatment; and a Summer Camp experience specifically for children living with cancer is offered annually in July through Camp Goodtime. In addition, in 2007, the Canadian Cancer Society, New Brunswick released a study confirming the financial burden of caring for a child with cancer as serious and substantial. Additionally, it has advocated for patient navigators and a provincial travel assistance program.

“We will continue to advocate for programs and services that will help to ease the burden of cancer on families,” Ms. McTiernan-Gamble said.

Childhood cancer highlights

• Since 1985, there has been a dramatic decline in childhood cancer mortality rates (dropping from approximately 40 to 20 per million children*)

• Incidence rates of childhood cancer have remained relatively stable since 1985

• According to statistics released by the New Brunswick Department of Health, there were 21 pediatric oncology patients in New Brunswick in 2006/07

• Children with cancer are referred to the IWK in Nova Scotia, or the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Laval and the CHU Sainte-Justine Children’s Hospital in Quebec

• The most common childhood cancer is leukemia (33% of new cases)

New Brunswick highlights

• This year approximately 4,300 New Brunswickers will be diagnosed with cancer and about 1,940 will die from the disease

• Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death for men and women in New Brunswick

is prepared, printed and distributed through a collaboration of the Canadian Cancer Society, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the National Cancer Institute of Canada, Statistics Canada, provincial/territorial cancer registries, as well as university-based and provincial/territorial cancer agency-based cancer researchers.

The Canadian Cancer Society is a national community-based organization of volunteers whose mission is the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer. When you want to know more about cancer, visit our website at www.cancer.ca or call our toll-free, bilingual Cancer Information Service at 1 888 939-3333.
Miramichi Leader, Canada