Policy Forum: Pediatric Oncology as the Next Global Child Health Priority: The Need for National Childhood Cancer Strategies in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Sumit Gupta, Roberto Rivera-Luna, Raul C. Ribeiro, Scott C. Howard
PLoS Medicine http://www.plosmedicine.org/
Published: June 17, 2014 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001656

Summary Points
:: As is already the case in high-income countries, cancer represents the leading cause of non-accidental death among children in a growing number of middle-income countries
:: Meaningful declines in global childhood cancer mortality will require moving beyond the current situation through the establishment of national childhood cancer strategies
:: Key components of such strategies include financial coverage, accreditation of childhood cancer centers, mandatory childhood cancer reporting and registration, development of national standards of care, and the creation of national childhood cancer governing bodies
:: Challenges to implementing such strategies include a paucity of implementation research, formal policy evaluation, and costing data
:: The ideal structure of such strategies in low-income countries is currently unknown, given severe resource constraints, deficits in infrastructure, and competing health needs