Six in seven children diagnosed with cancer in Finland before age of 16 get recovery, said the Helsinki-Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) in a press release on Friday.
Finland’s treatment outcomes for childhood cancer are on par with other Nordic countries and rank very high in international comparison.
For many cancers, the treatment outcomes are among the best in the world, said HUS.
Pediatric cancer treatment is centralized to five university hospitals in Finland that treat all types of pediatric cancer.
HUS New Children’s Hospital performs CAR T-cell therapy and allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
The most common childhood cancers are acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and malign brain tumors.
Other childhood cancers include neuroblastoma, childhood nephroblastoma, or Wilms tumor, and osteosarcoma meaning bone cancer.
The survival rate of patients diagnosed with cancer before the age of 16 has increased from 81.2 percent to 87.7 percent in the 2000s.
The five-year survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is currently at 95 percent in Finland.
The excellent treatment outcomes for children are based on close national and international research collaboration and uniform treatment protocols.
National collaboration will be further strengthened in the future by increasing consultations between professionals, managing difficult patient cases jointly, and arranging smoother mobility for medical professionals between hospitals.
Childhood cancers often differ from adult cancers in both clinical presentation and treatment. Children generally tolerate even intense therapies better than adults.
Childhood cancer therapies utilize the newest methods, such as antibody-based therapies and CAR T-cell therapy. The majority of Finnish child patients participate in international clinical trials. The quality of treatment—diagnostics, treatment, and prognosis—is monitored and continuously compared with international results.
