A joint effort using population-based data was generated from the BENCHISTA international study. The study, led by researchers at University College London (UCL), and the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (INT) in Milan, emphasises the importance of collecting cancer stage data following the Toronto guidelines for childhood cancer.
Leveraging high quality data from nearly 10,000 children across 73 population based cancer registries in 27 countries, the BENCHISTA project showed that 3-year survival is strongly linked to the stage of tumour at diagnosis – the more advanced the cancer, the lower the chances of surviving. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, also revealed meaningful differences between European regions, with variation in tumour stage at diagnosis emerging as a key factors explaining why children in some geographical areas fare better than others. These findings highlight the need to improve awareness, detection pathways, and data collection to ensure children receive timely and accurate diagnoses, regardless of location. Moreover, the study also underscores the importance of strong collaboration between clinicians and cancer registries, which enabled the BENCHISTA team to compare stage at diagnosis in childhood cancer internationally for the very first time. This collaborative effort represents an important step toward reducing inequalities and improving survival for children with solid tumours across Europe and beyond.
Recent outcomes of the BENCHISTA project have been widely disseminated across national and international sources including:
Paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41661594/
UCL website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/feb/early-diagnosis-key-improving-childhood-cancer-survival
The Independent article: https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/childhood-cancer-survival-rates-ucl-research-b2917505.html
SIOPE website: https://siope.eu/news/ucl-press-release-arly-diagnosis-key-to-improving-childhood-cancer-survival/
SIOPE News channel: https://siop-online.org/news/new-benchista-paper-highlights-survival-gaps-in-childhood-cancer/
E&P: https://epiprev.it/page/comunicato-stampa-tumori-pediatrici-il-progetto-benchista-ita