Number of children dying from cancer in UK is falling, says charity

The number of children dying from cancer in the UK each year is falling, according to new figures from a major charity.

Cancer Research UK said the number has dropped from around 330 a decade ago to around 260 now.

The rate of children dying from cancer has also dropped by 24% in the last decade.

Death rates for all cancers in children aged 14 and under have fallen from around 30 deaths per million in 2004 to almost 23 deaths per million today.

Around 1,500 children are diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK and, while survival has tripled since the 1960s, around five children still die from cancer every week.

Professor Pam Kearns, director of the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit in Birmingham, said more still needs to be done.

"There are still children's cancers where progress has been limited - such as brain and bone tumours," Prof Pam said.

"Many children who survive cancer will live with the long-term side effects of their treatment that can have an impact throughout their adult lives, so it's vital that we find less toxic and even more effective treatments."