Survival trends for neuroblastoma patients in Finland: negative reflections on screening.

Based on 257 neuroblastoma patients in the age group 0-14 years and reported to the Finnish Cancer Registry, the 5-year cumulative survival rates have improved from 15% in the 1950s to 57% in 1980-1986. The potential benefit of screening for neuroblastoma was assessed on the basis of these nationwide survival trends. It is likely that any decrease in the overall neuroblastoma mortality due to screening would be small, because the survival rates of the Finnish neuroblastoma patients are already, even without screening, similar to those in Japan, which has a nationwide public health policy to screen for neuroblastoma.