Ho, April 09, – Childhood cancer remains a major global health concern and is now ranked as the eighth leading cause of death among children worldwide, according to new findings from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study.
The study, published in The Lancet, indicates that childhood cancer kills more children than diseases such as measles, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS, with survival outcomes largely dependent on access to healthcare resources.
Although global mortality rates have declined over time, the burden continues to weigh heavily on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where health system limitations significantly affect outcomes.
Researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital reported that in 2023 alone, there were an estimated 377,000 new childhood cancer cases and 144,000 deaths globally.
Since 1990, incidence rates have remained relatively stable worldwide, while deaths have decreased by about 27 per cent. However, disparities between regions remain stark.
The data shows that LMICs accounted for 85 per cent of new cases and 94 per cent of both deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2023. DALYs measure years of healthy life lost due to both premature death and disability.
Lead author Lisa Force of IHME noted that while survival outcomes have improved in high-income countries, such progress has not been evenly distributed.
She explained that many children in LMICs face delayed diagnosis, limited access to essential medicines, and weak health systems, all of which contribute to poor outcomes.
The study further recommends increased investment in cancer control systems in resource-limited settings, including improved referral pathways, stronger diagnostic capacity, expanded training for health workers, and better access to chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy.
It also highlights the need for improved cancer registration and surveillance systems to support effective planning and response.
Regional analysis showed that the WHO Western Pacific and African Regions recorded the highest number of cases in 2023, while the African Region recorded the highest number of deaths, rising by nearly 56 per cent since 1990.
Despite this, age-standardised mortality rates have declined globally across all WHO regions, with the most significant improvements seen in high-income settings.
In 2023, the African and Eastern Mediterranean Regions recorded the highest mortality rates for childhood cancer.
Leukaemia, brain and central nervous system tumours, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma were identified as the leading contributors to childhood cancer burden globally. Nearly half of all deaths were linked to six key cancers under the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) index.
St. Jude Global’s Nickhill Bhakta noted that ongoing international partnerships, including with the WHO, aim to raise global childhood cancer survival rates to at least 60 per cent by 2030 through initiatives such as the GICC and global medicine access programmes.
He stressed that newly available datasets from IHME would help track progress and assess the impact of global efforts to reduce childhood cancer deaths.
The study was supported by the Gates Foundation, St. Baldrick’s Foundation, and the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), St. Jude’s fundraising and awareness arm.
GHBUSS
09 April 2026
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