Fostering High-Quality Care for Pediatric Cancer Patients: The WHO Global Initiative against Childhood Cancer

Fostering High-Quality Care for Pediatric Cancer Patients: The WHO Global Initiative against Childhood Cancer

*Cancer stands as a formidable public health challenge, affecting nearly 20 million individuals annually and accounting for 1 in every 6 deaths worldwide. The burden of cancer is swiftly escalating, placing immense strain on healthcare systems ill-equipped to prevent and manage the disease. Childhood cancer, in particular, poses a significant public health concern, ranking as the ninth leading cause of childhood illness globally, as per findings from the 2017 Global Burden of Disease study.*

*Almost 80% of all childhood cancer cases occur in low- or middle-income countries, where treatment often remains unaffordable or inaccessible. Consequently, survival rates for these pediatric patients hover between 15% and 45%, starkly contrasting with the over 80% survival rates observed in high-income countries. Such health inequity underscores a pressing need for action.*

*In response to the mandate laid out in World Health Assembly resolution WHA70.12, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and other global partners, launched the WHO Global Initiative against Childhood Cancer during the United Nations General Assembly’s third high-level meeting on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in September 2018.*

*This initiative aims to elevate the global survival rate of pediatric cancer patients to at least 60% by 2030, while concurrently alleviating the suffering of all children afflicted by cancer. Five years since its inception, over 70 countries across the six WHO regions have made strides in various stages of implementation through the adoption of the initiative’s action framework, dubbed CureAll.*

*There have been myriad approaches yielding positive outcomes in achieving CureAll’s pillars and facilitating elements, demonstrating that it is indeed feasible to enhance care for pediatric cancer populations in low- and middle-income countries, provided there exists staunch political will, multisectoral commitments, and strategic investments.*

In the ongoing battle against childhood cancer, the WHO Global Initiative stands as a beacon of hope, heralding a future where every child, regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic status, receives the care and support they deserve.