Cohort studyindependent cross-checkabstract only checked★ key study I-CHM-05 standard review
About 9 in 10 children with leukaemia now survive
Improved survival for children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia between 1990 and 2005: a report from the children's oncology group.
Overview
Hunger SP et al.. J Clin Oncol 2012 · PMID 22412151 · DOI 10.1200/JCO.2011.37.8018
5-year survival in childhood ALL rose to 90.4% by 2000-2005.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: high
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Track ALL survival.
- How was the study done?
Trial cohort analysis.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
21,626.
- What was actually found?
83.7% -> 90.4%.
- How large was the observed effect?
+6.7 points.
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Childhood leukaemia is usually curable with treatment.
- What are the study's limitations?
Trial patients.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Benefit side.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Moderate.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Survival outside trials.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- Hunger SP et al.
- Journal
- J Clin Oncol
- Year
- 2012
- Identifier
- PMID 22412151 DOI 10.1200/JCO.2011.37.8018
- Verification
- verified – PubMed esummary + efetch 2026-10-25
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- abstract only
- Conflicts of interest and funding
Disclosures at end of article; NIH funding
2. Research question
Survival trends in childhood ALL in COG trials 1990-2005.
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Cohort study – Population-level analysis of trial cohorts
- Population
Children/adolescents 0-22 y with ALL
- Country
USA
- Period
1990-2005
- Sample size
21,626
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
COG ALL trial enrolment
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Era of treatment
- Comparator
Earlier eras
- Endpoints
5- and 10-year survival
- Statistical methods
Survival analysis
5. Actual results
- Results
5-year survival rose from 83.7% (1990-1994) to 90.4% (2000-2005) (P<.001), improving in all subgroups except infants.
- Absolute risks
5-year survival 90.4% (2000-2005)
- Authors' conclusion
Ongoing survival improvements for children with ALL.
6. Strengths
- Very large
- Population representative (55.8% of cases)
7. Weaknesses
- Trial participants only
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- ROBINS-E
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- low
- Rationale
Descriptive survival trends.
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
Shows high cure rates achieved with chemotherapy-based protocols.
10. Relevance to the specific claim
Benefit context for childhood-cancer late effects; counters 'chemo has no cure'.
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
Moderate.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Strong evidence of curative effect of treatment in childhood ALL.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | high |
| Risk of bias | low |
| Precision of results | high |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | replicated |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | consistent |
| Regional transferability | moderate |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
15. Linked fact checks
- Childhood-cancer survivors carry a large burden of chronic disease caused by treatment ('severe chronic conditions in 62%'). – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim
- The archive's 19 chemo/radiation studies are presented on the homepage as 'scientific studies confirming what Dr. Diaa proposed'; the harm-only study selection implies that the harms of chemotherapy and radiotherapy outweigh their benefits. – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim
- Cancer cells resist chemotherapy because of their fibrotic interstitial (stromal) environment; fibrosis strangles cells, which then turn cancerous and resist chemo and radiation. – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim
- Cancer patients should not take chemotherapy, radiotherapy or biological therapy (or should stop them) and follow the Tayebat system instead; 'we are against the word medicine'. – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim
- Oncology only buys time: 'survival rates' are meaningless, patients die during treatment, and early diagnosis only makes you 'die early'. – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim
- The system's life method is 'zero medicine': a life without any medicines at all. – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim