Children's Cancer Death Rates Drop

A fall of more than a third in Scotland in ten years as Scots are urged to help save more lives.

The number of children dying from cancer in Scotland has dropped by 37%  in the last decade, that's according to Cancer Research UK.

The new figures released at the start of Childhood Cancer awareness month coincide with the tenth anniversary of Give Up Clothes for Good, which raises money to fund research to beat children's cancers sooner.   

Every year, around 110 children in Scotland are diagnosed with the disease. A decade ago, around 30 children in Scotland died from cancer each year, but thanks to better treatments the figures released today show this has now dropped to around 20 each year. The steepest decline is in leukaemia, the most commonly diagnosed children’s cancer, where  there has been a drop from around 10 deaths each year to around five.

Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for Scotland, said:

"It's so encouraging to see more and more children surviving cancer. We hope the figures released today will inspire people to give what they can - unwanted clothes really can save lives.

"Over the last ten years we've completed life-saving research that would not have been possible without our unique partnership with TK Maxx and their dedication to creating more tomorrows for children and their families.

"But we can't stop now. Sadly, not every child survives cancer and we must continue to fight for every child and every family. And many children who do survive will live with the long term side effects of their treatment that can have an impact throughout their adult lives. It's vital that we find kinder and more effective treatments, but we need the public's help. Every item donated at TK Maxx will bring us a step closer to beating the disease sooner."