PAEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY SCENARIO IN LESSER DEVELOPED NATIONS: THE CHALLENGES
Suhag V.*, Sunita B. S., Vats P., Pandya T., Lohia N., Singh V. K. and Tiwari M.
ABSTRACT
Cancer is relatively rare in childhood, but it contributes considerably to childhood mortality, years of life lost per person and late effects in survivors. Childhood cancers are life-threatening diseases that are universally distressing and potentially traumatic for children and their families at diagnosis, during treatment, and beyond. These cancers have different characteristics than those occurring among adults and described as cancers occurring below 15 years of age. In developed countries, its incidence is relatively rare but it's a leading cause of death. More than 80% of the childhood cancers are occurring in low and middle income countries where paediatric oncology facilities continue to face several challenges. There is an urgent need to overcome these barriers to improve the quality of life of childhood cancer patients and their care givers. These patients should be managed multimodally by pediatric oncologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, nutritionists, and occupational therapists.
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