Science and health for all children with cancer

Abstract

Each year ~429,000 children and adolescents aged 0 to 19 years are expected to develop cancer. Five-year survival rates exceed 80% for the 45,000 children with cancer in high-income countries (HICs) but are less than 30% for the 384,000 children in lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). Improved survival rates in HICs have been achieved through multidisciplinary care and research, with treatment regimens using mostly generic medicines and optimized risk stratification. Children’s outcomes in LMICs can be improved through global collaborative partnerships that help local leaders adapt effective treatments to local resources and clinical needs, as well as address common problems such as delayed diagnosis and treatment abandonment. Together, these approaches may bring within reach the global survival target recently set by the World Health Organization: 60% survival for all children with cancer by 2030.

Prognostic impact of diagnostic and treatment delays in children with osteosarcoma

“…However, in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC), these rates are far lower. Several factors likely contribute to this finding, including delayed diagnosis, suboptimal treatment, toxicity‐induced deaths, and abandonment of treatment …”

“…diagnosis, suboptimal treatment, toxicity-induced deaths, and abandonment of treatment. 7 Many studies have failed to demonstrate that a delay in the latency to diagnosis (LD) is associated with advanced stage or worse outcome in patients with pediatric bone tumors, [8][9][10][11] but this remains controversial. 12 Bone tumors may have a longer LD than other types of tumors due to a slow growth rate and frequent presentation in teenagers.…”

Non Hodgkin Lymphomas (NHL) in the Pediatric Oncology Unit of the Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital, Bamako Mali

“…Even though cure is possible in most childhood cancer cases, the death rate in the world remains high given that 80% of children affected by cancer live in developing countries where no effective treatment is available. As a result, we note a survival rate of about 20% in these countries [3].…”

An ethical imperative: Safety and specialization as nursing priorities of WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer

“…Cancer is a leading cause of global childhood mortality from noncommunicable diseases, affecting approximately 300 000 children/adolescents (0‐19 years old) annually . Of these children/adolescents, approximately 89% live in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC) with an average 30% estimated survival rate, less than half the rate in high‐income countries (HIC) . This inequality galvanized the launch of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer in September 2018 to improve survival rates to 60% by 2030 .…”

“…than half the rate in high-income countries (HIC). 2 This inequality galvanized the launch of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer in September 2018 to improve survival rates to 60% by 2030. 3 WHO has designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife and highlights that nurses, together with midwives, constitute the largest group of health workers 4 ; therefore, strengthening nursing is critical to meeting this target.…”