UK shame over childhood bone cancer survival rates
Survival for childhood bone cancer is lower in the UK than in any other Western European country
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Wednesday, 07, Jan 2009 07:59
Survival for childhood bone cancer is lower in the UK than in any other Western European country, a new report claims.
The study published in the British Journal of Cancer today suggests that survival for oesteosarcoma – the most common type of the bone cancer – has not improved in the last 20 years, remaining at about 60 per cent.
Researchers say the reason for this may be due to the later diagnosis of the disease and different ways of treating oesteosarcoma in the UK.
Across the rest of Western Europe, the survival rate is around 65 per cent, although the figure in Eastern Europe it is much lower, at around 43 per cent.
Dr Richard McNally, lead author from the Newcastle University, said the different survival rates may be linked to the variation in treatment options across the continent.
"For example, a child diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the UK may be given a different course of treatment to a patient in Germany, where they tend to be given a more intense course of radiotherapy and surgery."
Professor Tim Eden, from the Teenage Cancer Trust's Professor of Teenage and Young Adult Cancer, added that delays in diagnosis may also be contributing to the difference in survival rates, claiming it was crucial more research was carried out.
The results from the UK were also described as a "real concern" by Professor Ian Lewis, of the Scientific Advisory Panel for the Bone Cancer Research Trust, who funded the study.
He added the results emphasised why it was so important to fund research aimed at improving understanding of new treatments.
Finally, Cancer Research UK called for greater investment in international clinical trials to establish the best treatments for bone cancer.