Community urged to support CHOC
Childhood cancer ranks among the leading causes of disease-related death in children and adolescents.
In a joint effort led by the Department of Health, in collaboration with CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa and the World Health Organization (WHO), this month marked the start of a nationwide campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer.
The initiative aims to ensure early diagnosis and successful treatment for children with cancer in SA.
Childhood cancer ranks among the leading causes of disease-related death in children and adolescents. Various barriers hinder the timely diagnosis and referral of children with cancer to treatment centres.
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Myths and stigmas surrounding the causes of childhood cancer sometimes deter families from seeking prompt medical care.
Misinformation and fear drive these myths, leading to missed diagnoses and advanced disease presentations that negatively impact treatment outcomes.
The campaign aims to educate communities and primary healthcare workers that the reality is that children can develop cancer, be treated, and recover.
While high-income countries boast childhood cancer survival rates exceeding 80%, low- and middle-income countries face survival rates as low as 20-30%.
Fortunately, SA reports better outcomes, with survival rates ranging from 55-60%.
Professor Gita Naidu, chair of the South African Association of Paediatric Haematology Oncology, highlighted SA’s alignment with the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (WHO-GICC).
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“We need to focus on early diagnosis, referral to specialised treatment centres, ensure access to diagnostics and therapeutics and emphasize quality of life, supportive long-term follow-up, and palliative care,” Naidu said.
The initiative aims to increase the survival rate of children and adolescents with cancer, focusing on early diagnosis, specialised treatment centres, diagnostic and therapeutic access, quality of life, long-term follow-up, and palliative care.
Established in 2018, the WHO-GICC unites stakeholders worldwide to achieve a minimum 60% survival rate for children with cancer by 2030.
The initiative, guided by the CureAll framework, is a strategic approach emphasizing centres of excellence, universal health coverage, research and innovation, and empowerment of patients and communities through education and advocacy.
Hedley Lewis, the CHOC CEO, called for South Africans to unite and support the initiative.
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Dr Kibachio Joseph Mwangi, the WHO’s medical officer responsible for non-communicable diseases in SA, stressed that poor childhood cancer management outcomes in such countries result from delays in diagnosis, inaccurate diagnosis, inaccessible therapy, treatment abandonment, toxicity-related deaths, and relapses.
The partnership with WHO-GICC should improve outcomes by prioritising prompt, accurate diagnosis followed by evidence-based therapy.
The Department of Health underscored the importance of recognising the St Siluan warning signs of childhood cancer, accessible at [CHOC’s website](https://choc.org.za/childhood-cancer-early-warning-signs/)
In support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Neighbourhood Square will host Cupcakes of Hope on September 30 at the centre.
