Why is ChiCA important?

Although specific types of childhood cancer are uncommon and childhood cancers represent a small percentage of all cancers, each year more than 160,000 children are diagnosed with the disease.

The good news is that most can be cured or a long-term remission achieved if prompt and essential treatment is both accessible and affordable. However, 80% of children with cancer are in resource-constrained countries where access to information, early detection and effective treatment and care is often poor. More than one in two of these children diagnosed with cancer will die, contributing significantly to the estimated 90,000 childhood cancer deaths annually, thus collectively childhood cancers represent an important global public health problem.

What are the issues in low- and middle-income countries?

• In developing countries childhood cancer is often detected too late,

• Appropriate treatment is commonly not available nor affordable,

• Expertise in childhood cancer management  is insufficient,

• Palliative care is very limited and

• Statistics are inaccurate