South Carolina Childhood Cancer Taskforce Produces First Childhood Cancer Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sept. 4, 2024

COLUMBIA, S.C. – In conjunction with September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH), in collaboration with the South Carolina Children’s Hospital Collaborative, the University of South Carolina and the South Carolina Cancer Alliance, announces the release of the state’s inaugural childhood cancer report, titled “Childhood Cancer in South Carolina: 25-Year Trends in Incidence, Survival and Mortality.” 

The groundbreaking report, which provides a comprehensive look at the burden of childhood cancer in South Carolina and illustrates trends in childhood cancer measures over time, identifies many favorable trends for childhood cancer statewide, including an 11% improvement in childhood cancer survival and a 21% decrease in mortality over the 25-year study period.  

“We have made tremendous progress in treating and supporting children with cancer in South Carolina. Because of this report, we now know South Carolina’s priority areas for childhood cancer so we can keep moving the field forward for our patients and their families,” said Dr. Anna Hoppmann, pediatric oncologist at Prisma Health and Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia who served as the Childhood Cancer Taskforce chair. 

The Childhood Cancer Taskforce, Dr. Hoppmann said, was formed with experts from across the state with the goal of producing the first statewide report on childhood cancer. While South Carolina has produced reports on adult cancer in the past and those have informed cancer efforts moving forward, there had never been a childhood cancer report.

Priority areas identified in the report include:

• persistent racial/ethnic disparities in childhood cancer survival, 
• a growing population of childhood cancer survivors who require survivorship care across their lifespans, and 
• changing childhood cancer incidence patterns, including rising state trends for childhood lymphoma and leukemia and a decline in brain and central nervous system tumors.  

Disparities in outcomes by race and geography were significant. Though the gaps have narrowed, relative survival among Black and Hispanic children with cancer in South Carolina remained lower than white children with cancer. Black children had the lowest survival percentage of all groups. Childhood cancer was also persistently higher in urban as compared to rural areas.

"This report shows us critical information that we can use to bridge existing gaps in care," said Dr. Edward Simmer, DPH interim director. "This is an important example of taking data the state collects and engaging multiple partners with it statewide to produce something of significant long-term value."

Dr. Aniket Saha, Prisma’s director of pediatric oncology in the Upstate, agreed.

“This is the first step we have taken to help us and the citizens of South Carolina better understand and appreciate the current state of childhood cancer in our community,” Dr. Saha said. “After reflecting on the report, we hope to create a platform for advocacy for children and their families and to improve outcomes related to childhood cancer with the hopes of helping our neighbors right here in South Carolina.”
 
This collaborative report was made possible through the work of various stakeholders who are involved in caring for children with cancer in the state of South Carolina, including the state’s award-winning state cancer registry, led by director Stephanie Chiodini at DPH.

“The cancer registry has been dedicated to collecting accurate cancer data in South Carolina for nearly 30 years,” Chiodini said. “Our mission is that this information be used to spread awareness or make improvements in the field of cancer.  

“We are excited that this collaboration with our partners at the Alliance and the Children’s Hospital Collaborative does just that."

Dr. Hoppmann said this groundbreaking work could not have been possible without the support of all the state partners involved.

“The state collaboration was truly inspiring,” Dr. Hoppmann said. “This is what happens when leaders in public health, pediatric oncology, and epidemiology put their heads together to understand the impact of childhood cancer in South Carolina.”

Dr. Michelle Hudspeth, Director of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at the Medical University of South Carolina, said the report represents an invaluable tool for physicians, researchers, media and anyone seeking to understand the impacts of childhood cancer in South Carolina.
 
“While we are pleased to see the tremendous progress for pediatric cancer patients in our state, it also compels us to engage in additional critical conversations, planning, and advocacy to ensure an even better future for childhood cancer patients and their families,” Dr. Hudspeth said.

As part of the state cancer plan, DPH plans to update the Childhood Cancer Report every five years.

To read the full report visit, sccancer.org/pediatrics.

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