Back in the 1970s, only a quarter of children with cancer were cured. Figures out today have shown that 40 years on, that rate has jumped to three quarters survival.
Here are some more cold, hard stats that show cancer treatment is moving in very much the right direction.
:: Over the last 40 years, 15,000 more children have beaten cancer than would have been the case if survival rates had not improved, said Cancer Research UK.
:: The chances of a child surviving leukaemia, the most common childhood cancer, for at least five years has increased from 33% to more than 85%.
:: Liver cancers in children have seen survival soar from just 14% in the 1970s to 80% today.
:: For neuroblastoma, which affects the nerves, five-year survival has risen from around 17% to 67%.
However, not every type of cancer has been overcome as successfully. For instance, the most aggressive forms of neuroblastoma remain very hard to treat.
Kate Law, director of clinical research at Cancer Research UK, warned that improving treatment needs to remain a priority.
“Cancer Research UK’s new strategy highlights our commitment to do more to beat cancer in children, teenagers and young adults.
“To turn this into reality we’re funding a number of trials and research projects which aim to understand more about the disease and to develop more effective and kinder treatments.”
Amy Hillier, 27, from Surrey, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma at 11 years old and underwent months of chemotherapy.
She said: “I’m alive today thanks to my doctors, nurses and the research that developed the treatments that beat my cancer.
“My mum told me I was going to be cured – I never doubted it.”