Only 34% of kids in India make it to cancer centers: NGO

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) - India is home to around 20% of all childhood cancer cases in the world and only 34% of the patients make it to a cancer hospital, according to CanKids, a non-profit working on childhood cancer care.

Each year, an estimated 400,000 children and adolescents of 0-19 years around the world old develop cancer, and India accounts for over 76,000 of the cases.

The World Health Organization says childhood cancer is a leading cause of death, and the likelihood of surviving a diagnosis depends on the country in which the child lives: in high-income countries, more than 80% of children with cancer are cured, compared to 30% in lower-middle-income economies.

The reasons for lower survival rates include delay in diagnosis, an inability to obtain an accurate diagnosis, inaccessible therapy, abandonment of treatment and death from side effects.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on International Childhood Cancer Day being observed on Tuesday, Poonam Bagai, the chairwoman of India's CanKids, said there is a need for better access to cancer centers.

“The most important thing right now is to understand that there are barriers to access to care, and if we don’t address all the barriers, we will not be able to close the gap,” said Bagai.

She said that “sometimes parents think their child is not well, and they go to a health care provider. But the diagnosis is not done on time and they do not know where to go.

“Even the health care provider doesn’t know where to refer the child for treatment. More than we need to create awareness with the general public we need to educate our health care providers, and that is at all levels."

A study on Indian childhood cancer patients by CanKids revealed that the total time interval from the onset of symptoms to the commencement of treatment is 56 days.

According to the research, the major delay is at the diagnostic interval and on average it takes 37 days to reach the specialist hospital and get a diagnosis.

Bagai said health inequality for cancer kids is an important issue in India, adding: “We have to work to reduce the inequity in the survival rate, which is close to 20% in India.

"If we want to correct the inequity, then we must pay more attention to childhood cancer, because if a child survives, the family survives, and the whole economy has higher productivity."

She said childhood cancer has the fourth highest incidence rate in India after oral, breast and cervical cancers, "but we have not been able to focus enough attention on it.”

Dr. Ramandeep Arora, secretary of the Indian Pediatric Oncology Group, said “timely diagnosis and better and appropriate treatment is crucial in improving the outlook of children suffering from cancer in India.”

Children affected with cancer and their parents launched a campaign on Feb. 4 World Cancer Day, requesting their members of parliament to formulate a national plan and policy for childhood cancer.

The campaign's theme, “Faasle Khatam Karo” or Close the Care Gap, launched in collaboration with the Union for International Cancer Control, is about identifying and addressing the barriers that exist for many people around the world in accessing the care they need.