Sub-Saharan African children and cancer: how do we improve the outcome?

摘要

Of the 9.7 million children who die in low income countries the majority are due to preventable causes and only 150,000 are due to childhood cancers, and as such, paediatric oncology is not high on the priority list of health problems in most low income countries. Figures from the world literature reveal that 20% of childhood cancers develop in the 1st world countries and they achieve a survival rate approaching 80%. In Africa and the developing world where 80% of the childhood cancers occur, the survival rate is a dismal 25%.