Survival rates for Victorian children diagnosed with cancer have hit an all time high, according to new research released by Cancer Council Victoria.

 

The Council’s research shows that overall, five-year cancer survival in children aged under 15 have improved from 68 per cent in 1982, to 82 per cent in 2010.

 

Despite the good news, 150 children are diagnosed with cancer each year in the state, showing a 0.5 per cent increase per year, with cancer representing the second highest cause of death in the under 15 age group.

 

Cancer Council Victoria CEO, Todd Harper, said the improvement in survival highlights the improvements made in treatment over the last 30 years.

 

"The increase in survival demonstrates we are getting better at treating childhood cancers, and provides hope for the more than 150 Victorian children and their families who are diagnosed with cancer each year," Mr Harper said.

 

"The impact of improvements in treatment is particularly dramatic if we look at the trends in survival for leukaemia, which had survival of less than 40% in the 1970s and is now over 90%, while lymphoma survival has increased from 58% to more than 90% over the same period."

 

Overall cancer mortality rates have decreased by 2.3% per year since 1982.

 

"Many of these improvements are attributable to the advent of chemotherapy in the 1970s, while in recent years survival continues to improve due to ongoing developments in use of targeted treatment protocols and new radiotherapy techniques."