Treatment-related mortality in children with cancer in low-income and middle-income countries
Topic overview
Systematic review of 501 studies across 68,351 pediatric cancer patients in LMICs reveals treatment-related mortality of 6.82% overall, with stark disparities by income level: 14.19% in low-income countries versus 4.47% in upper-middle-income countries. Treatment-related deaths account for nearly one-third of all mortality in these settings.
Key takeaways
- Treatment-related mortality in LMICs is 6.82% overall, but reaches 14.19% in low-income countries—triple the 3-5% rate in high-income countries.
- One in 15 children receiving cancer treatment in LMICs dies from treatment complications, accounting for 31% of all childhood cancer deaths.
- Treatment-related mortality inversely correlates with country income level and has not improved over time in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
- Upper-middle-income countries show declining treatment-related mortality, demonstrating that improvement is achievable with adequate resources.
- Targeted supportive care interventions are urgently needed to address the preventable deaths driving global disparities in childhood cancer survival.
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