Premium
The experience of a single Australian paediatric oncology unit
Author(s) -
McCowage Geoffrey B,
Vowels Marcus R,
Brown Rhonda,
O'GormanHughes Darcy,
White Leslie,
Marshall Glenn
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1993.tb137965.x
Subject(s) - medicine , malignancy , sarcoma , lymphoma , radiation therapy , pediatrics , chemotherapy , oncology , pathology
Objective To determine the survival for children with malignant disease diagnosed in the period 1964‐1987 and treated in a single paediatric oncology unit. Design Records of patients treated by the Department of Haematology and Oncology at the Prince of Wales Children's Hospital were reviewed to determine the survival of children with cancer according to decade of diagnosis and diagnostic group. Patients Patients were eligible for the study if referred for treatment at or soon after diagnosis of malignancy. One thousand patients were treated during the study period. There were 363 with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), 126 with tumours of the central nervous system (CNS), 86 with acute non‐lymphoblastic leukaemia (ANLL), 81 with lymphoma, 79 with neural crest tumours, 69 with renal tumours, 66 with bone sarcomas, 53 with soft tissue sarcomas, and 77 with various other diagnoses. Age range was one day to 20.75 years. Interventions Treatment included surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy in a variety of protocols. Results Ten‐year survival for the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s was 15%, 51% and 64% respectively ( P < 0.001), excluding tumours of the CNS. From 1985 onwards, actual survival at five years has been 79%. Survival from Wilms' tumour and Hodgkin's disease remained high throughout the study period, and significant improvement in survival occurred with ALL, non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and osteogenic sarcoma. Survival remained poor with neuroblastoma and ANLL. Conclusions Significant improvement in outcomes for childhood malignancy has been achieved over the last three decades, with five‐year survival currently at 79% (excluding tumours of the CNS). Some diagnostic groups have had only small improvements in outcome and require new strategies. (Med J Aust 1993; 159: 453‐458)