Childhood cancer control during the COVID-19 pandemic

Children living in low-income and middle-income countries have the greatest burden of childhood cancer and experience the greatest inequities.3,4 The pandemic has exposed weaknesses in health systems and capacities to control childhood cancer. Delays in early detection; poor access to diagnostic ser...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The lancet oncology 2021-10, Vol.22 (10), p.1348-1350
Main Authors: Luna-Fineman, Sandra, Ortiz, Roberta, Ilbawi, Andre
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antineoplastic drugs
Antitumor agents
Cancer
Cancer therapies
Children
Children & youth
Collaboration
Comment
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Health care access
High income
Low income groups
Malnutrition
Medical research
Morbidity
Pandemics
Pediatrics
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
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Summary:Children living in low-income and middle-income countries have the greatest burden of childhood cancer and experience the greatest inequities.3,4 The pandemic has exposed weaknesses in health systems and capacities to control childhood cancer. Delays in early detection; poor access to diagnostic services and technologies; absence of full access to required anticancer drugs (as defined on the WHO list of essential medicines); higher rates of comorbidities (eg, malnutrition, infection, and poverty); and refusal and abandonment of therapy are common, resulting in increased morbidity and treatment-related mortality.8 All these factors result in lower survival rates and higher amounts of morbidity than in high-income countries. With the mandate given by governments in the World Health Assembly resolution on cancer (WHA 70.12), in 2018, WHO, alongside St Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memphis, TN, USA) and other key strategic partners like the International Society of Pediatric Oncology, both of whom are leading the Global Registry of COVID-19 in Childhood Cancer,1 launched the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer with the overall target to cure 60% of all children with cancer globally and decrease suffering for all.9 The CureAll Framework for childhood cancer outlines the steps necessary to improve access to care and reduce inequalities as part of building more resilient health systems and achieving universal health coverage (figure).10 This framework is feasible for all countries and in all contexts.
ISSN:1470-2045
1474-5488
DOI:10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00491-5