Childhood Cancer Survival Climbs to 90%

A registry analysis finds five-year survival for U.S. children and adolescents with cancer rose from 60% in 1975 to 90% in 2017, with persistent racial gaps.

Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Cancer

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A Journal of the National Cancer Institute analysis of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry data found five-year overall survival for children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer in the United States rose from 60% in 1975 to 90% in 2017. Non-Hispanic Black patients had the lowest five-year survival across multiple cancers.

Why it matters

The findings show large gains in pediatric cancer outcomes over four decades while documenting a racial survival gap that persists after adjusting for age and decade of diagnosis. The analysis suggests that unequal outcomes, not only treatment advances, will shape the next phase of progress.

The analysis covered patients diagnosed at ages 0 to 19 from 1975 to 2022 across 152,275 combined registry cases. A Children's Oncology Group analysis of high-risk neuroblastoma trials found five-year survival of 47.2% for Hispanic patients versus 61.3% for White patients in induction and consolidation trials.

The players

National Cancer Institute

The National Cancer Institute is the federal government's principal agency for cancer research, and it runs the SEER program that supplies the registry data behind the analysis.

Journal of the National Cancer Institute

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute is a peer-reviewed publication of the National Cancer Institute that publishes oncology and cancer epidemiology research.

The details

Gains were largest for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, while improvements in solid tumors were more modest. Survival was stratified by race and ethnicity, diagnosis, and population density, with trends evaluated using the NCI Joinpoint Regression Program and multivariable Cox models adjusted for age, decade of diagnosis, and race and ethnicity.

1975: Five-year survival baseline of 60% recorded.
2017: Five-year survival reached 90%, the most recent reported diagnosis year.
2026: Schwartz et al. analysis published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Health Landscape

The findings extend the SEER program's population registry record, which has tracked cancer survival in the United States since the 1970s, into a detailed account of pediatric outcomes. Because the trend is drawn from the same registry framework used for adult cancer monitoring, it offers a consistent basis for comparing progress across age groups.

Families of children diagnosed with cancer may find that survival odds have improved substantially since the 1970s, though the analysis shows that outcomes vary by cancer type and by race and ethnicity. The findings highlight that long-term follow-up remains important, since mortality beyond 20 years after diagnosis persisted for some cancers.

The takeaway

Survival gains in pediatric cancer are substantial, but the persistent racial gap suggests that access and equity need the same attention as new therapies. Continued registry monitoring is essential to track whether improvements reach every group.