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International Childhood Cancer Day: PAHO launches campaign to raise awareness of childhood cancer in Latin America and the Caribbean

Posted: Wednesday, February 15, 2023. 4:00 pm CST.

By Aaron Humes: Today is International Childhood Cancer Day and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Childhood Cancer International are campaigning for awareness of the first signs of the most common types of cancers in children and adolescents, in order to improve timely diagnosis and treatment outcome.

The campaign, ‘Support Kids with Cancer’, was launched on Tuesday and seeks to raise awareness of the most common types of pediatric cancer, including lymphoblastic leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, and retinoblastoma, among others. Some of the common symptoms include fatigue, unexplained bruising, lumps or swelling, loss of appetite, persistent headache, dizziness and vomiting, and bone pain.

Dr Anselm Hennis, Director of the Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health Department at PAHO indicates that nearly 29 thousand young ones, one in every 360, are diagnosed with a form of cancer each year, with the median regional survival rate at 55 percent, though falling as low as 20 percent in lower-income countries due to delays in diagnosis, lack of specialized care, limited access and availability of essential cancer medicines and preventable mortality due to infections.

“While childhood cancer cannot be prevented, most types can be cured if detected early,” Dr Hennis said. “Providing parents and caregivers with the information they need to raise the alarm, is crucial to ensuring timely diagnosis.” Less than half of all countries in the region, 46 percent, have a national policy for the early detection of cancer, including childhood cancers.

“The six most common childhood cancers have unique characteristics, with detectable early signs and symptoms, and are highly curable with proven therapies,” notes Marcela Zubieta, Head of the Latin American network at Childhood Cancer International. “This is why getting the information out to parents via this campaign is so vital.”

The campaign features an animated video and a song, which highlights the symptoms of common childhood cancers in an easy-to-remember way. It also provides information on what to do if a concerning symptom is present.

 

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