A new observatory to close childhood-cancer gaps across 24 countries

The Pan American Health Organization has launched a Regional Childhood Cancer Observatory covering 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. For the first time, comparable data on diagnosis speed, treatment capacity, cancer registries and outcomes will let countries see exactly where children are being failed — and fix it. Each year about 30,000 children and adolescents in the region are diagnosed with cancer and nearly 10,000 die; survival ranges from 35% to 80% depending on the country. Partners include St. Jude Global, the WHO and childhood-cancer societies.