Childhood Cancer Death Rates Drop, But Progress Stalls for Black and Hispanic Youth

Disparities in access to new treatments and the burden of care may contribute to higher death rates among these groups.

Childhood cancer death rates have dropped 24% between 2001 and 2021, but progress has stalled for Black and Hispanic children in the past decade.
In 2021, the death rate for white youth was 19% to 20% lower than for Black and Hispanic youth.
Despite advances in treatment, brain cancer was the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among children in 2021.
Experts suggest that disparities in death rates may be due to a lack of equal access to the newest, cutting-edge cancer treatments or treatment centers.
The complexity of new cancer treatments such as gene therapy can burden families and be an impediment to getting care.