There is a troubling stagnation in advances in childhood cancer treatment for black and Latino/Hispanic youth in the United States, resulting in a gap in mortality rates, according to a recent report by  the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention  (CDC), a government organization of the Department of Health and Human Services, commented on in the Associated Pressarticle.

While childhood cancers have historically been rare, significant improvements in treatments in recent decades have led to a decrease in mortality rates for children of all ethnicities. However, over the past 10 years, the mortality rate has only declined significantly for white children, exacerbating racial and ethnic inequalities.

According to the publication, Dr. Sharon Castellino, a pediatric cancer specialist, highlights that even with sophisticated scientific advances, equitable delivery of these treatments is essential to achieve national goals. She underscores the complexity of new treatments, such as gene therapy, which, while promising, can create significant logistical and financial challenges for families, making it difficult to access adequate care.

The need for more social workers is emphasized to help families navigate bureaucracy, obtain employment-protected leaves, and ensure continuity of health insurance for the child. While the overall death rate from childhood cancer in the U.S. has declined over two decades, the disparity in rates between black, Hispanic and white youth persists.

Childhood cancer, once almost incurable, is now survivable for most patients, but the issue of equity in access to advances in treatment needs to be addressed. Brain cancer has become the leading cause of cancer death in children, surpassing leukemia. The report highlights the importance of collaborative research and points out that about 15,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer each year in the U.S., with more than 85% living at least five years after diagnosis.

The National Cancer Institute is working to collect data from all childhood cancer patients, with the goal of improving equity in access to the latest care, the report said. The CDC report is described as “disturbing and disheartening”, offering a guide to the next actions needed in the field of childhood cancer treatment.