Survival
The overall 5-year relative survival rates for infant cancer from 1975
to 2014 was 73.4%. There was no statistically significant difference in
overall survival by gender and race; however, there were significant
differences in overall survival by ICCC cancer types and over the years.
The 5-year relative survival was only 65.1% in 1975-1984, but increased
to 78.0% in 1995-2004 and to 80.5% in 2005-2014. The 5-year overall
relative survival rates for retinoblastoma, neuroblastoma, renal tumors
and germ cell were over 80%. The 5-year overall relative survival for
both leukemia and CNS were under 50% [Fig. 4]. We analyzed the
survival rate changes for different ICCC types by 10-year period.
Significant relative survival increases occurred for all the ICCC types
except renal and sarcomas[Fig 5]. The largest 5-year relative
survival rate increase from 1975-1984 to 2005-2014 occurred in hepatic
tumor (57.7%, from 39.7% to 97.4%), lymphoma (52.4%, from 31.0% to
83.4%) and leukemia (38.0%, from 26.9% to 64.9%). For CNS and
neuroblastoma, the 5-year overall relative survival increases from
1975-1984 to 2005-2014 were 23.9% (35.5%-59.4%) and 10.5%
(84.0%-94.5%) respectively. Survival for infants having retinoblastoma
since 1995 has approached the survival rate for infants without this
cancer. Leukemia and CNS were two infant cancers whose survival improved
continuously over four decades. The significant survival improvement for
Heptic tumor, germ, and Neuroblastoma occurred only during 1995-2004 and
2005-2014. For retinoblastoma, the survival improvement was only in
1995-2004, for lymphoma survival increase only happened in 2005-2014.