Latest updates from the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer
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In 2018, WHO launched, with the support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer, to provide leadership and technical assistance to governments to support them in building and sustaining high-quality childhood cancer programmes. GICC aims to increase the survival rate of children with cancer globally to at least 60% by 2030.
Celebrating five years of implementing GICC in partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Till date, the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer has been implemented in over 70 countries, across 6 regions with more than 120 partners. Of the 36 focus countries actively implementing the CureAll approach, 20 have reported recent progress in implementing 115 CureAll core projects across the four pillars and three enablers of the framework:
- 34 centres of excellence have been established in 20 countries
- 23 projects to advance Universal Health Coverage through inclusion of childhood cancer into national programs and policies
- 25 projects to strengthen evaluation and monitoring mechanisms for childhood cancer
- 25 regimens for management
- 80 childhood cancer-linked policies and governance
- 19 advocacy-related activities
- 8 sustainable financing mechanisms leveraged to develop informed National Cancer Control plans
St. Jude, global community collaborates to accelerate care in Nepal
In the five years since launching the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer, the effort has expanded to more than 70 countries, including 36 focus countries. Read how through a recent advocacy workshop, St. Jude Global, WHO and other partners furthered the commitment to childhood cancer in Nepal, one of those GICC focus countries.
Cancer medicines included in the WHO Essential Medicines List and the Essential Medicines List for Children
Cancer medicines are among those that were added to the latest version of the WHO Essential Medicines List and the Essential Medicines List for Children, which WHO published in July 2023. These treatments could have a very large public health impact globally, without jeopardising the health budgets of low and middle-income countries.
The WHO and St Jude Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines aims to provide universal, sustained access to quality-assured, essential cancer medicine for all children in low- and middle-income countries, free of charge. St Jude has generously committed 200 million US dollars over six years to finance the platform.
In his opening remarks at a media briefing, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General thanked Dr Jim Downing, the President and Chief Executive Officer of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Dr Benedikt Huttner, the Secretary of the Expert Committee on Selection and Use of Essential Medicines — for the leadership and partnership to ensure that all children benefit from the life-saving power of cancer medicines.
GICC Country Champions
Nepal: Shared-care model of childhood cancer treatment lowers abandonment rates and holds promise
"When I was a clinical practitioner, I remember so many stories of children and their parents who had to travel vast distances to receive treatment and specialized cancer care in Kathmandu. A lot of them had to wait for days or even months to see a doctor, or get lab results — and this created additional out-of-pocket expenses for families, who often had to stay in hotels in the city while they availed treatment. These are hidden costs that ultimately result in abandonment of treatment. This is why we prioritised the 'Shared-care model’ of childhood cancer treatment - that makes a significant portion of cancer care for children available closer to home — minimising hardship on children and their families." - Dr. Suman Panthi, GICC Country Champion, Nepal
Regional Updates
Reducing childhood cancer inequalities in the EURO region
There has been rapid progress in childhood cancer survival rates over the past decades in the WHO European Region, but improvements have not been experienced equally across countries. While it is possible to cure more than 80% of childhood cancers, the annual death rate for children diagnosed with cancer ranges from 9% to 57% across countries.
WHO/Europe published a report that set out for the first time the evidence on childhood cancer inequalities in the 53 countries of the Region. It shows that childhood cancer inequalities are experienced along the whole cancer care continuum, affecting diagnosis, access to care, care quality, follow-up care, mortality and survivorship experiences.
CureAll Americas: National Meeting on Childhood Cancer in Suriname
On May 10, 2023, the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health Suriname (NMH) in collaboration with St. Jude Global, organized a National Meeting on Childhood Cancer in Suriname. The meeting is an essential step towards improving the standard of pediatric cancer care in Suriname.
CureAll Americas, of which Suriname is a participating country, is a partnership between St. Jude Global and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), aimed at accelerating the diagnosis, treatment, and care for children with cancer in Latin America and the Caribbean.
PAHO/WHO Representative Dr. Lilian Reneau-Vernon commended the Ministry of Health for this initiative and ensured that she is "confident that our collective efforts will help to improve the quality of life for children with cancer in Suriname and contribute to global efforts to combat pediatric cancer"
The National Meeting on Childhood Cancer in Suriname: CureAll Americas yielded several important outcomes: a national stakeholder mapping, which identified all stakeholders involved in paediatric cancer care; a national SWOT analysis identifying the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to paediatric cancer care; a list of prioritised gaps in paediatric cancer care in Suriname
PAHO promotes the legal implementation of the a comprehensive protection policy for children and adolescents with cancer in Argentina
Under the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) organised a meeting with Argentina's Ministry of Health to advocate for implementing Law 27,674 to create a comprehensive protection policy for children and adolescents with cancer.
The law guarantees access to social benefits such as economic allowance, work licenses for caregivers, as well as housing, education, and free use of public transportation for childhood cancer patients from low socio-economic backgrounds. These benefits are included within the framework of a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach that includes children and adolescents up to and including 18 years of age and their families at the centre of care. The event was inaugurated by the Health Minister, Dr. Carla Vizzotti, Sonia Quezada from PAHO Argentina, the Secretary of Access to Health, Sandra Tirado, and the Director of the National Cancer Institute (INC) Verónica Pesce.
imPACT cancer mission in El Salvador
From 5-9 June 2023, El Salvador carried out an ' imPACT mission' to assess national capabilities and needs related to cancer control — and prioritise related interventions to effectively respond to the cancer burden in the country.
National and international experts from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), The International Center for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) participated in this mission to provide the Government of El Salvador and partners with a situational analysis and recommendations that will guide actions in cancer control, including childhood cancer.
Meeting of the Andean Committee of Cancer Prevention and Control
A meeting of the Andean Committee of Cancer Prevention and Controls was held in Santiago de Chile from 19-20 June 2023 to discuss the Andean policy on Cancer Prevention and Control, with special attention to childhood cancer. The meeting was attended by multiple stakeholders, including representatives from the National Directorates of Cancer, the Ministries of Health of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, PAHO/WHO officials from the Andean countries, representatives of St Jude's Children Research Hospital and regional experts.
A key outcome was the formulation of an Andean roadmap of childhood cancer that will enable implementation of strategic guidelines based on CureAll pillars in the six Andean countries.
Nepal: First National Workshop on Accelerating Childhood Cancer held
With support from WHO and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Nepal organised a workshop to address childhood cancer. The workshop aimed to map existing services for childhood cancer in the country, sensitise policymakers to the importance of implementing the CureALL framework and plan a coordinated approach to evidence-based interventions for improving childhood cancer services in the country.
Over 75 stakeholders attended the workshop, including high-level policymakers from the Ministry of Health and Population, international delegates, and national cancer service providers.
A key outcome of the workshop was the Dhulikhel Declaration, a commitment to accelerate progress on the Nepal Childhood Cancer Initiative, which aims to increase survival rates for children with cancer in Nepal by 60%, by 2030. WHO will continue to support partners to develop guidelines for Nepal and ensure effective services are aligned with international best practices.
