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Childhood cancer, a leading cause of disease-related deaths past infancy in children and adolescents that faces numerous barriers that impede its early diagnosis and referral of patients with cancer to treatment centres.
The Department of Health, in collaboration with local and international stakeholders, including Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa (CHOC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), will spend September to create awareness of the dire impact cancer has on many children and their families.
According to Professor Gita Naidu, chair of the South African Association of Paediatric Haematology Oncology, to increase the survival rate of children and adolescents with cancer globally. “We need to focus on early diagnosis, referral to specialised treatment centres, ensure access to diagnostics and therapeutics and emphasize quality of life, long-term follow-up, and palliative care.”
Dr. Kibachio Joseph Mwangi, noted that the poor outcome of childhood cancer management in low and middle-income countries is primarily driven by delays in diagnosis, inaccurate diagnosis, inaccessible therapy, abandonment of treatment, death from toxicity and relapse.
In affluent countries twenty percent the children have cancer but their survival rate is more than eighty percent. Whereas in low and middle-income countries the survival rate is as low as 20-30%. South Africa has a much better profile of 55-60%.
The WHO initiative brings together stakeholders from around the world and across sectors to increase the survival rate of children with cancer globally to at least 60% by 2030.
The initiative is guided by CureAll, a strategic and practical approach that involves Centers of excellence and care with a sufficient and competent workforce to increase capacity to deliver services.
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