NEW DELHI: Childhood cancer ranked among the top ten causes of deaths in India, killing 17,000 in 2023, according to the latest findings from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study.
Published in the Lancet, the study also said childhood cancer was the eighth-leading cause of deaths globally, killing more than measles, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
The estimates show that while mortality has declined globally, children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face the most severe consequences from cancer.
There were 377,000 new cases of childhood cancer and 144,000 deaths worldwide in 2023.
The cancer types with the greatest burden globally in 2023 were leukemias, brain/central nervous system cancers and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
According to Professor Manas Kalra, Pediatric Hematologist and Oncologist, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, "Childhood cancers are highly curable - offering a profound opportunity for investment."
Noting that childhood cancer is underreported in India, he said, studies estimate that 50,000-75,000 children are diagnosed annually in India.
"Strategic government action can transform lives. A concerted effort by all stakeholders and formation of a National Childhood Cancer Plan, can hugely impact the outcomes. These young survivors can grow into thriving, productive contributors to our nation's future," he told The New Indian Express.
The report estimated that childhood cancer deaths in 2023 in India were 17,000. In China, 16,000 childhood deaths due to cancer were reported, while in Pakistan and Nigeria, the figure was around 9,000.
The researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine (IHME) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, among others, found that since 1990, new cases have been relatively stable globally, and deaths have decreased by 27%.
However, the majority of childhood cancer burden in 2023 was in LMICs, with 85% of new cases, 94% of deaths and 94% of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
DALYs measure the total years of healthy life lost by examining the years lost from premature death and years lived with disability.
"While outcomes for many childhood cancers have improved in high-income countries, these gains have not been equitably shared," said Lisa Force, lead author from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine. "The vast majority of children with cancer live in low- and middle-income countries, where delays in diagnosis, lack of access to essential cancer treatment, and other health system limitations and barriers to care can contribute to disparities in childhood cancer burden."
The study emphasizes that improving outcomes will require expanded investment in cancer control systems, particularly in LMICs, including referral systems that support timely diagnosis, workforce training, access to chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy, as well as stronger cancer registration and surveillance systems.
The study said that "global childhood cancer burden remains a substantial contributor to global childhood disease and cancer burden and is disproportionately weighted towards resource-limited settings."
"The estimation of additional cancer types relevant in childhood provides a step towards alignment with WHO GICC targets. Efforts to decrease global childhood cancer burden should focus on addressing the inequities in burden worldwide and support comprehensive improvements along the childhood cancer diagnosis and care continuum," the study said.
