Childhood Cancer: A Silent Crisis Claiming More Young Lives Than HIV/AIDS or TB

HARARE — In a sobering revelation for global health, the 2023 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, published this week in The Lancet, has identified childhood cancer as the eighth-leading cause of death among children worldwide. Perhaps most alarming for the African continent is the finding that pediatric cancer now claims more lives than measles, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS combined.

While high-income nations have seen a 27% decrease in mortality since 1990, the WHO African Region has experienced a devastating trend: cancer-related deaths among children increased by nearly 56% over the same period.

The study, led by the Institute for Health Metrics Evaluation (IHME) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, highlights a "resource-availability" crisis. While only 15% of new cases occur in high-income countries, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) shoulder:

• 85% of all new cases.

• 94% of all childhood cancer deaths.

• 94% of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost.

“The vast majority of children with cancer live in LMICs, where delays in diagnosis and lack of access to essential treatment contribute to massive disparities,” stated Dr. Lisa Force, lead author of the study.

In Zimbabwe, the fight against this silent killer is being spearheaded by civil society organizations such as KidzCan. Recent analysis of the KidzCan database shows that the most common childhood cancers in the country are nephroblastoma (kidney tumors), acute leukemia, and retinoblastoma (eye cancer).

The Zimbabwean data suggest a median age at diagnosis of just four years old. Locally, survival rates remain a concern, with research indicating that performance status at the time of diagnosis, often delayed by a lack of awareness, is a critical factor in outcome.

The study emphasizes that these deaths are not inevitable. The Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC), a partnership between the WHO and St. Jude, aims to improve global survival to at least 60% by 2030.

Zimbabwe has already taken significant steps toward this goal by including childhood cancer in essential benefit packages and developing new legislation to improve access and financial protection for affected families. However, the report stresses that further investment is needed in:

• Referral Systems: Supporting rapid identification and life-saving referrals.

• Workforce Training: Empowering more Zimbabwean medical professionals with diagnostic skills.

• Medicine Access: Ensuring chemotherapy and radiotherapy are both available and affordable.

“These data are a tool to help us evaluate the impact of our mission to reduce catastrophic diseases of childhood,” said Dr. Nickhill Bhakta of St. Jude Global.

For now, the message to Zimbabwean parents and caregivers remains one of vigilance: childhood cancer can be treated, but early detection is the only bridge to survival.

Global childhood cancer burden 2023