More than 1,000 children in the world are diagnosed with cancer every day (Pixels)

Today, Thursday, the world celebrated World Childhood Cancer Day 2024, with the aim of reducing the survival gap.

The World Health Organization said in a statement today: “On World Childhood Cancer Day 2024, we highlight the vital role that parents, family doctors, and pediatricians play in the early detection of childhood cancers. No one is more ready to channel all their resources.” "More investments in the well-being of their children than parents do. By recognizing the early signs and symptoms of some types of cancer and investigating them carefully, you can save your child's life."

The organization added, “More than 1,000 children in the world are diagnosed with cancer every day. Modern medical progress provides very good chances of survival in high-income countries, where more than 80% of children with cancer will be able to survive. On the other hand, In some low- and middle-income countries, only 20% of children diagnosed with cancer will survive.

“The latest estimates indicate that more than 70% of all children diagnosed with cancer will die in 2022,” she says.

She emphasizes that unlike cancer in adulthood, the underlying factors that contribute to childhood cancer are not well understood, and only a small percentage of childhood cancers are preventable. This means that the recovery of these children depends heavily on the ability of health systems to ensure timely diagnosis, early referral and appropriate treatment. Achieving this is a particular challenge in many countries of the region facing humanitarian emergencies, natural disasters, and political instability.

The organization said that in 2018, it launched the Global Initiative to Combat Childhood Cancer. Its main goal is to reduce the survival gap by 2030, by ensuring that at least 60% of children with cancer worldwide survive their diagnosis. The initiative is a collaborative effort involving the World Health Organization on a global, regional and country scale, in partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Source: World Health Organization