Childhood cancer incidence & survival in Aotearoa, New Zealand 2010–2019

Abstract

ObjectiveTo provide updated estimates of childhood cancer incidence and survival in Aotearoa, New Zealand. MethodRegistrations for children under the age of 15 years diagnosed with cancer between 2010 and 2019 were extracted from the New Zealand Children’s Cancer Registry. Cases were stratified by age, sex, prioritised ethnicity (Māori, Pacific peoples, and non-Māori) and cancer type. Age-standardised incidence rates (ASRs) per million person years and observed survival rates were calculated. ResultsDuring the study period, 1522 children were diagnosed with cancer providing an ASR of 169.1 per million per year (95 % Confidence Interval, CI: 157.0–181.2). For all childhood cancers combined, survival at 5-years was 85.6 % (95 % CI 83.7–87.3). There was a gap in 5-year survival between Māori (80.9 %, 95 % CI 76.5–84.6), Pacific peoples (82.6 %, 95 % CI 75.6–87,7) and Non-Māori (87.8 %, 95 % CI 85.6–89.7) In both adjusted and unadjusted models, this difference in survival was most marked (p < 0.05) among children who were 10–14 years of age at diagnosis. ConclusionChildhood cancer incidence and survival rates in Aotearoa, New Zealand remain comparable to other high-income countries. Further research is required to understand the survival difference between ethnic groups.