Nueva guía de la OPS busca mejorar la detección temprana y las tasas de supervivencia del cáncer infantil en América Latina y el Caribe – OPS/OMS

Washington, DC, February 14, 2025 (PAHO) – Within the frame New interactive guide Destined to improve the early diagnosis of childhood cancer, one of the main causes of mortality between children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean.

«The early detection not only leads to the probability of curació, which also significant the quality of life of patients and their families,» said Dr. Mauricio Maza, regional advisor in warming the PAHO. «With this new tool, we seek to provide the health teams with the tools necessary to act quickly and efficiently,» he added.

Every year, it is estimated that around 30,000 children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean will be diagnosis of cancer diagnosis, and almost 10,000 will lose their lives due to the disease. While in high income countries more than 80% of children with cancer are cured, in the rest, the average survival is 55%.

The new guide is part of the World Initiative against Childhood Cancer, which seeks to reduce shooting in cancer survival rates, helping to save more lives an early -detrection.

Developed by PAHS in collaboration with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Latin American Society of Pediatric Oncology (SLAOP), the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) and a group of 130 regional experts, the material provides a practical framework for Health professionals identify the signs and symptoms of cancer in their first.

With an integral focus, it covers from the initial evaluation to the classification of the symptoms, providing action species to follow according to the severity of the case. In this sense, the guide classifies attention into three emergency levels:

• Red (immediate): For children with severe symptoms, the reference in mediated to UN Hospital with pediatric emergency service is recommended.
• Yellow (prioritarian): For less urgent, but still cryatic cases, the patient should be sent within 48 to 72 hours.
• Green (programmed): For cases that require more diagnostic studies, which can be programmed.

«The implementation of this guide will not only optimize the diagnostic times, but also a reducer will comply with a long term associated with late hundreds,» said Dr. Liliana Vasquez Ponce, of the delicium ethics of highlighted.

The guide also including information about the most child cancer tupos is for body body.

In addition, it provides support tools, such as a glossary of medical terms and educational resources, so that health professions have the necessary knowledge to implement the implementation of the best extensions in early diagnosis. Also, it incorporates key public health inmates that will serve as a reference for the Ministries of Health and Hospitals directors, facilitating the monitoring and evaluation of early childhood cancer programs.

Virtual Diagnostic Course of Childhood Cancer

In addition to the guide, the OPS for recreation a free course on its virtual public health campus desired to provide deeper training on the early diagnosis of childhood cancer. The course is specially addressed to doctors and other health workers, with the aim of strengthening their abilities to detect signs and symptoms in their earliest phases.

This course covers key aspects such as risk factors, starting and interpretation of complementary exams, all from a primary care perspective.

PAHO also works through its strategic fund to expand access to essential treatments for cancer, including pediatric formulations. In collaboration with key partners such as WHO, St. Jude and UNICEF, the region advances towards the fulfillment of the global objective of increasing the supervice rate of child cancer at least 60% by 2030, with a slow goal of saving one million lives Between children and adolescents worldwide.