Factors in improved survival from paediatric cancer.

In 1998, over two-thirds of children diagnosed with cancer will be cured of their disease. This has been accomplished by improvements in understanding the biology of the various forms of cancer and stratifying protocol-based therapies (surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy) based on predicted treatment outcome and risk of treatment failure. The excellent prognosis of subgroups of malignancies, including acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Wilms' tumour, has led to the modification of therapies to decrease or minimise long term adverse effects which may have a significant impact on the quality of life of survivors. The lessons learned from the treatment of paediatric cancer may lead to improvements in the treatment of adult cancers.