Child cancer cases missed
Childhood cancer is rare – only 1 per cent of New Zealanders newly diagnosed are children – but a new global study shows nearly 50 per cent of affected children are left undiagnosed and untreated.
The Lancet Oncology estimated there were ‘‘almost 400,000 new cases of childhood cancer annually, while current records count only around 200,000’’.
‘‘Our model suggests that nearly one in two children with cancer are never diagnosed and may die untreated,’’ says the author of the study, Zachary Ward.
Making predictions for 200 countries, the study estimated undiagnosed cases make up more than half of the recorded total in Africa, South Central Asia and the Pacific Islands, specifically.
In contrast, Australia and New Zealand had fewer than 10 per cent of undiagnosed cases, while Europe and North America had only 3 per cent.
The study predicts there will be 6.7 million new cases of childhood cancer around the world between 2015 and 2030, but an esti- mate 2.9 million of these cases will be missed if there are no improvements made to health systems.
A number of healthcare models around the world currently focus on specialised hospital treatment, but there aren’t enough. The study concluded that increased performance from these systems is vital.
‘‘As the hidden incidence of childhood cancer starts to come to the fore, stronger health systems are needed for timely diagnosis, referral and treatment,’’ said Ward.
New Zealand currently has only two specialised child cancer centres; Starship Blood and Cancer Centre in Auckland, and Central and Southern New Zealand Child Cancer Services in Christchurch. However, the New Zealand Children’s Cancer Registry reported that one in two children diagnosed don’t reside in either location.
The ‘‘shared care’’ model was implemented around the country to accommodate those who don’t live in, or close to, these centres. Patients are then referred to local paediatric teams to undergo treatment closer to home. New Zealand is also part of an international sharing network, which allows treatment and research to continually improve.