Other articles in this issue of the European Journal of Cancer have describ
ed population-based survival analyses of specific types of childhood cancer
included in the EUROCARE database, diagnosed since 1979. The present paper
summarises the relevant estimates and comments on intercountry differences
, focusing on possible distortions in the intercountry comparisons based on
data produced by the cancer registries. Potential biases include a lack of
exhaustiveness of both case ascertainment and follow-up for living status
and also a lack of consistency in the use of classification of the childhoo
d cancer types. Nevertheless, despite such biases, consistent differences a
re observed between European countries in the probability of survival follo
wing the diagnosis of a paediatric cancer. In most cases, poor population-b
ased survival rates are probably explained by inadequacies in the adoption
and implementation of therapeutic protocols that have been proved to be eff
ective. In some instances, the cause of unsatisfactory estimates was the in
clusion of a sizeable proportion of children with cancer in clinical trials
which were found to be ineffective. A regression analysis of incidence, mo
rtality and survival rates during 1978-1989 over the whole EUROCARE databas
e strongly indicates that the prognostic improvements over time are real an
d cannot be attributed to changes in diagnostic procedures. (C) 2001 Elsevi
er Science Ltd. All rights reserved.