More than 80 percent of diagnosed childhood leukemia cases in China are curable, said the National Health Commission (NHC) at a press conference on Tuesday, citing the improvement in leukemia treatment standards for child patients.

Around 15,000 child patients are diagnosed with leukemia each year, making the disease one of the most common type of malignant tumors among children, according to Zheng Huyong, a senior doctor at the National Center for Children's Health (NCCH), which is affiliated with the NHC.

An NCCH survey found that in the past 10 years, the overall long-term survival rate of child's leukemia over five years is close to 90 percent, and the five-year event-free survival rate of child's acute promyelocytic leukemia is more than 90 percent, indicating how leukemia treatment has improved in China.

More than 60 percent of China's children hospitals and tumor hospitals are now capable of conducting standardized diagnosis and treatment of child's leukemia, said the NHC.

More families with patients are covered by medical reimbursement, according to the NHC.

With the implementation of various medical care programs, the actual reimbursement rate among child leukemia patients from poor families in rural areas rose to 81 percent in Sept. 2018 from 49 percent in early 2017, the NHC said.