The survival rate of childhood cancer in South Africa is around 55-60% and slowly picking up momentum.
Cape Town - With the 15th of February designated as International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD), the CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa is raising awareness about childhood cancer via the #throughyourhands campaign, with a focus on healthcare teams and volunteers who contribute to cancer patients' care.
According to the organization, with the survival rate of childhood cancer in South Africa being around 55-60% and slowly picking up momentum, public health campaigns impact early diagnosis and referral, which translate into improved outcomes.
Chief Executive Officer of CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa, Hedley Lewis said dedicated centres for childhood cancer treatment are required to specialize diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities, along with the ability to manage complications.
“Childhood cancer care should ideally be managed in a limited number of treatment centreRs in which resources and expertise are concentrated with good satellite centrers who can deliver some treatment, thereby decreasing the burden on families, providing rapid management of complications, and decreasing abandonment of treatment,” said Lewis.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 400 000 children and adolescents aged 0 to 19 years old develop childhood cancers such as leukemia, brain cancer, lymphoma, and solid tumors with cure rates in high-income countries (HICs) exceeding 80%, while only 30% in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are cured.
While many children, teenagers, and parents hope for better outcomes, Chair of the South African Children’s Cancer Study Group Professor Gita Naidu, said the economies of most LMICs are challenged by poverty, shortages of healthcare workers, weak health systems, low education levels, poor access to modern technology, and a paucity of health care facilities.
“LMICs have younger populations and therefore a larger proportion of children with cancer than HICs. Abandonment of therapy is a significant cause of treatment failure in many LMICs and financial support, provision of transport, and accommodation decrease the risk of abandonment and must be considered an essential part of oncology care in LMICs.
“Many factors contribute to treatment abandonment, including a lack of financial resources, poor disease comprehension, cultural factors, belief in alternative medicines, fear of treatment toxicity, inadequate care on the part of health care workers, and decreased awareness.
“Just as some level of basic supportive care capacity is necessary to treat children with cancer, basic educational and aid programs aimed at preventing abandonment are also imperative. Addressing the emotional, social, financial, and spiritual needs of children and families facilitates adherence to treatment, improves the quality of life, and reduces the risk of abandonment.”
“While there is an overall need to strengthen systems to improve diagnostics and treatment for patients of all ages with cancer, dedicated centres for childhood cancer treatment require specialized diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities, and the ability to manage complications and intensive care units (ICUs) are imperative for the delivery of intensive chemotherapy,” said Naidu.
Going forward, Lewis added that increased awareness and accurate information knowledge can empower people to recognize the early warning signs of childhood cancer and make informed choices.
“As a global childhood cancer community, we believe that increased awareness and accurate information and knowledge can empower all of us to recognize the early warning signs of childhood cancer, make informed choices about our children’s health, and counter fears and misconceptions about childhood cancer.”
“During the prevention, care, and management; as well as the rehabilitation and integration of survivors, there are many role-players that contribute to the success thereof. Parents and families have hope when they trust their children and teenagers #throughyourhands and on ICCD 2022; we salute the healthcare workers, allied workers, and NGOs who impact the lives of children and teens with cancer. They are the voices of the families and give hope to the children, teens, and their families to complete the cancer treatment.
“Together, and #throughyourhands we can reach the WHO Global Childhood Cancer Initiative (GICC) of 60% survival rate by 2030 and in doing reduce the suffering of the children,” said Lewis.
Weekend Argus