To mark the International Childhood Cancer Day, celebrated annually on February 15, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has launched a new interactive guide to support health professionals in the early identification of the disease. Cancer is one of the main causes of child mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean, affecting approximately 30,000 children and adolescents every year – almost 10,000 of whom do not survive.
The guide was developed in collaboration with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Latin American Society of Pediatric Oncology (SLAOP), the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) and a group of 130 regional specialists. The material presents a practical approach so that health professionals can recognize the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer and quickly refer patients to specialized treatment.
The Global Childhood Cancer Initiative, coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), was launched in 2018 during the United Nations General Assembly as part of the global response to improve cure rates and reduce the suffering of children with cancer. The aim of the initiative is to achieve a minimum survival rate of 60% by 2030.
Childhood cancer continues to be a significant challenge for health systems. Every year, around 400,000 children (aged 0-19) are diagnosed with the disease worldwide. However, inequalities in diagnosis and access to treatment are evident: in low- and middle-income countries, 9 out of 10 diagnosed children face barriers to accessing appropriate treatment. While high-income countries have cure rates of over 80%, in other nations in the Americas this average rate drops to 55%.
The new guide, entitled “Diagnóstico precoz del cáncer en niños, niñas y adolescentes: Guía interactiva de referencia rápida” (available only in Spanish), brings together information on the main types of childhood cancer in the region, including acute leukemias, central nervous system tumors, lymphomas, Wilms’ tumor and retinoblastoma. The material details signs and symptoms, health history, physical examinations and complementary tests required for each type of cancer.
Moreover, the guide provides essential support tools, such as a glossary of medical terms and educational resources, enabling health professionals to implement effective early diagnosis practices. It also includes key public health indicators, which serve as a reference for ministries of health and hospital directors, facilitating the monitoring and evaluation of early childhood cancer detection programs.
To find out more about the PAHO/WHO response in the fight against childhood cancer, visit the “Early diagnosis of childhood cancer – PAHO/WHO” campaign page. You can also access the Virtual Health Library’s collection on the subject, which has more than 42,000 technical and scientific publications; or the LILACS Plus collection, which currently has 3,389 documents specific to Latin America and the Caribbean.