The rate of children dying from cancer has dropped by 24% in the last decade, according to the latest figures published by Cancer Research UK.
Death rates for all cancers in children aged 14 and under have fallen from around 30 deaths per million in 2004 to almost 23 deaths per million today.
Much of this success is due to tackling childhood cancers by combining a number of different chemotherapy drugs. Cancer Research UK played a key role in the clinical trials that proved the benefits of these combined treatments, including a large international trial that has helped lead to liver cancer death rates falling by 26% in the last decade. Research to improve imaging and radiotherapy techniques is also playing its part.
