New figures released today to mark the start of Children’s Cancer Awareness Month show the numbers of youngsters dying from the disease in the East of England has dropped dramatically.

Every year, around 150 children aged from birth to 14 in the region are diagnosed with cancers.

However, in the past decade the number dying has dropped by 22%.

In the 1960s, only one in four children with cancer were cured. Today, three in four survive thanks to research which has led to vast improvements in treatment.

The steepest decline in death rates has been in leukaemia, the most commonly diagnosed children’s cancer, which have almost halved, dropping from around 100 deaths nationally each year to around 55.

Jane Redman, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for the East of England, said: “It’s so encouraging to see more and more children surviving cancer.

“But we can’t stop now. Sadly, not every child survives cancer and we must continue to fight for every child and every family. And many children who do survive will live with the long term side effects of their treatment that can have an impact throughout their adult lives. It’s vital that we find kinder and more effective treatments.”

The charity is using Children’s Cancer Awareness Month to highlight its Give Up Clothes for Good partnership with TK Maxx to raise money for research to beat children’s cancers sooner.

The project – which encourages people to donate old unwanted clothing in special bins in TK Maxx stores – has raised £13.2million by re-selling the clothes in Cancer Research UK shops.