WHO announces new tools to help countries build effective childhood cancer programs

A set of tools to help countries improve the diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancer is released today by the World Health Organization on International Childhood Cancer Day. This package contains a “how-to” guide for policy makers, cancer control program managers, and hospital managers. Evaluation tool for notifying implementation. Multilingual online portal for information sharing.

New tool supports country with implementation of Cureall The approach adopted by the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer. Launched in 2018, this initiative aims to achieve at least 60% global childhood cancer survival by 2030. Currently, children living in high-income countries have an 80% chance of healing, but many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) survive.

Over the past two years, the Global Initiative, backed by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the WHO Collaboration Center in the United States, has been active in more than 30 countries and has benefited from the participation of more than 120 global partners.These partners will work together to support the government by implementing Cureall An approach that addresses the common reasons why children with cancer have low survival rates with LMIC. These reasons include delayed or inaccurate diagnosis, lack of diagnostic ability, delayed or inaccessible treatment, and abandonment of treatment.

Solutions to all these issues are provided in a new “how-to” guide based on four pillars. Center of excellence with a defined referral route and a trained workforce. Include childhood cancer in the national benefit package of universal health insurance. Evidence-based treatment criteria tailored to local capabilities. A robust information system for continuous monitoring of program performance.Case study of the country that started the cureall It also includes approaches such as Ghana, Peru and Uzbekistan.

A new evaluation tool that facilitates the design of approaches tailored to cancer control

Evaluation tools are also announced today to inform the implementation of the initiative and support real-time interpretation of the data. This tool was developed under the leadership of the WHO in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and other partners, and the national cancer program provides a tailored approach to cancer control in its environment. Allows you to develop. This tool will help you generate data for decision making and address LMIC data gaps.

Multilingual portal for information sharing

The importance of sharing data, clinical experience and expertise is key to improving the standards and performance of cancer programs around the world. A new online practice community, the WHO Knowledge Action Portal, supports the implementation of global initiatives for childhood cancer. The portal, which consists of content in six languages, provides the Department of Health’s cancer focus and provides a forum for establishing and managing partnerships, organizing training programs, and sharing resources.

Avoidable Burdens of Childhood Cancer: Time to Accelerate Behavior

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 required another type of data on the effects of COVID-19 on children with cancer. In response, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has begun working with partners to collect data on COVID-19 infections in children with cancer. As of early February, more than 1,500 childhood cancer patients from 48 countries were tested for COVID-19.

The available data appear to indicate that the effects of COVID-19 on children with cancer are not as serious as feared, but there are concerns about the impact of pandemics on the willingness to seek care and complete treatment. remain. This affects children with cancer in the long run and can lead to worse results.

“Providing childhood cancer treatment and implementing global initiatives is a priority during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to be a priority after the end,” said Ventemicelsen, director of the WHO non-communicable disease division. The doctor says. “Every year, an estimated 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide, and the majority of these children live in low- and middle-income countries, where their chances of survival are much lower. We can and must give these children a better chance of life. “

A small, strategic investment of around US $ 0.03 to $ 0.15 per person, when properly provided, is sufficient to build and maintain a comprehensive childhood cancer service. Such investments have the potential to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children over the next decade.