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Cancer in children is a small fraction of the global cancer burden
but for children with the disease and their families it can be
distressing. This is especially so in less-developed countries where
childhood cancer is often detected too late for effective treatment and
where appropriate treatment is too often not available or affordable.
Each year more than 160,000 children are diagnosed
with cancer and it is estimated that 90,000 will eventually die of the
disease. Although childhood cancers represent a small percentage of all
cancers, most of them can be cured if prompt and essential treatment is
accessible. However, 80% of children with cancer are in
resource-constrained countries where access to information, early
detection and effective treatment and care is difficult. More than one
in two of these children diagnosed with cancer will die.
In 2005, the International Union Against Cancer (UICC)
announced the first recipients of its then new programme, “My Child
Matters” (MCM). The objective of the MCM initiative is to build local
capacity to reduce inequities in childhood cancer survival in selected
resource-constrained countries. The first year, 14 projects were
accepted, which aimed to improve the early diagnosis, treatment, care
and support of children with cancer in the developing world. These
projects were in Bangladesh, Egypt, Honduras, Morocco, Philippines,
Senegal, Tanzania, Ukraine, Venezuela and Vietnam.
Those first programmes were launched in 2006 on World
Cancer Day, in partnership with sanofi-aventis. The MCM awareness and
media campaign aimed to raise global awareness amongst health
professionals, communities, and health decision-makers, about the gap in
survival rates between children with cancer in high- and low-income
settings. UICC set out to do this with a campaign toolkit which
included fact sheets, a poster and a state of the art report.
In 2007, Bolivia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mali, Peru and
Romania were granted funds for MCM projects and in 2008, Burkina Faso,
Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire; Pakistan and Paraguay were added to the list
of countries. With these additions it makes a total of 33 projects in
21 different countries.
TIMELINE
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In 2004, the International Union
Against Cancer (UICC) and sanofi-aventis embarked on a ground-breaking
partnership in the fight against childhood cancers under the banner "My child matters". The objective is to fight childhood cancer in
countries where paediatric oncology is still an underdeveloped field.
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In 2005, 14 projects were selected
by the Advisory Steering Committee in 10 MCM pilot countries: Bangladesh, Egypt,
Honduras, Morocco, Philippines,
Senegal, Tanzania, Ukraine,
Venezuela and Vietnam.
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In 2006, 10 projects were selected
to join the My child matters
initiative in Bolivia, Indonesia, Kenya,
Mali, Peru and Romania.
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In 2008, MCM is launched further projects in Burkina Faso, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Pakistan and Paraguay.
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