Lancet https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30339-0

An analysis of the distribution of the burden of childhood cancer indicates that it disproportionately affects resource-poor regions.

The measurement disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) accounts for both morbidity and mortality of disease, and is a useful metric for comparing across diseases and populations. While survival rates for childhood cancer have improved in high-income countries, this has not translated to low- and middle-income countries, and an understanding of DALYs in these regions could provide a basis for adequate resource and healthcare provision for childhood cancers.

Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, Lisa Force and colleagues provide an estimate of DALYs due to childhood cancer worldwide, including in those countries with scarce data. Their finding that burden disproportionately affected low- and middle-income countries provides a basis for increased efforts in these countries.