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15 February 2021 is designated as International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) by WHO. The ICCD is a global collaborative campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer and express support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors, and their families.

Today, let’s find out some facts and statistics about Childhood Cancer.

International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) by WHO. The ICCD is a global collaborative campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer and express support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors, and their families.

• Cancer in Childhood and adolescents is uncommon as they made up only 1% of the whole cancer case. But the number is steadily increasing each year.
• Every year, approximately 400.000 children and adolescents of 0 to 19 years old are diagnosed with cancer.
• Leukemia and Brain and Central Nervous System cancer are the most common types of childhood and adolescent cancer, making up 24% and 25% of all cases and diagnoses.
• In High-income countries with advanced medical services and systems, the survival and recovery rate for childhood and adolescent cancer is more than 80%. While in low-income and middle-income countries, only 15% to 45% are cured.
• Avoidable deaths from childhood cancers in low-income and middle-income countries are a result of lack of diagnosis, misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, obstacles to accessing care, abandonment of treatment, death from toxicity, and higher rates of relapse

In countries like Indonesia, childhood cancer often don’t receive a proper diagnosis or is diagnosed late. This situation is due to many factors like the lack of a sound healthcare system, low numbers of healthcare infrastructure, a low hospital bed ratio to population, and many more.

According to WHO, human resources for health in Indonesia have grown, but a physician to population ratio is still lower than WHO’s recommended figure, and geographical disparities remain. This is why health workers are crucial and always needed in Indonesia. It is a profession that could save the lifes of people and make Indonesia a better place for everyone, including children and adolescents who might have childhood cancer.

Source:

Internationalchildhoodcancerday.org

Who.int

Worldchildcancer.org