Survival rates for children with cancer are significantly lower in [b]SA[/b] than in developed countries because many only get treatment when the disease is already advanced. [s]The Mercury[/s] reports that this is according to a study conducted at [b]Tygerberg Hospital[/b] in [b]Cape Town[/b] and [b]Universitas Hospital[/b] in the [b]Free State[/b], which also noted cancer deaths were more prevalent among black and coloured children. The five-year survival rate in the two hospitals included in the study was 53.8%. In the [b]US[/b], the five-year survival rate of children is nearly 80% and in [b]Europe[/b] the three-year survival rate for childhood cancer is 81%. The report says researchers attributed the low survival rate in SA to limited resources, co-infections, switch diseases such as HIV, and malnutrition. They advocated creating awareness campaigns countrywide to facilitate earlier diagnosis among underprivileged children and improve the survival rate of childhood cancer patients.
[link url=http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/cancer-toll-higher-for-sa-children-1.1726609#.U9ZjEOOSzE0]Full report in The Mercury[/link]
[link url=http://www.samj.org.za/index.php/samj/article/viewFile/7882/6033]South African Medical Journal article[/link]