Workshop on Childhood Cancer Control

Earlier this month, on 8-9 June, UICC organised a workshop on childhood cancer control in Latin America in Geneva. The purpose of the meeting was to share experiences and good practices to develop a phased model framework for childhood cancer for the Latin American region. The meeting also provided an opportunity for participants to identify common areas for advocacy within their individual countries and for the region more broadly.

The first day of the workshop was held in collaboration with the McMaster Health Forum, McMaster University, and consisted of a Stakeholder Dialogue on advancing the development of national childhood cancer-care strategies in Latin America. The second day of the workshop was held in collaboration with the Hospital for Sick Children (Sickkids), Toronto, and focused on key elements of childhood cancer control in the region - early detection and diagnosis, treatment and care, survivorship, and monitoring, evaluation and research.

The meeting participants included clinicians, researchers, advocates, programme directors and representatives from Ministries of Health, including the Vice Minister of Health from Honduras. Participants also included UICC members and partners such as NCI, Dana Farber, Childhood Cancer International (CCI) and other organisations working in the area of child health, including the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) and Save the Children.

The workshop was a success in bringing together different organisations and countries for combined advocacy for childhood cancer. The workshop outputs, including advocacy priorities and an emerging model of early diagnosis, treatment and care for childhood cancer at national level, will be taken forward by UICC and partners for further development and implementation within the region.

The workshop was hosted by the Brocher Foundation in Hermance, a beautiful campus along the shores of lake Geneva. UICC’s proposal was among 28 successful projects selected by the Brocher Foundation’s scientific committee from over 80 proposals submitted to the foundation which is dedicated to supporting  the ethical, legal and social implications of the development of medical research and biotechnologies.

For more information please contact Dr Sonali Johnson at johnson@uicc.org