Raising Awareness to Improve Childhood Cancer Survival

Every year, around 10,000 children in Pakistan are diagnosed with cancer, yet fewer than 30% survive. Health experts attribute this alarming statistic to delayed diagnosis, limited treatment facilities, and financial constraints that prevent families from accessing timely care.

Globally, nearly 400,000 children and adolescents develop cancer annually, with survival rates exceeding 80–85% in developed countries. In contrast, outcomes in developing nations remain far lower due to late detection and lack of specialized care.

Dr. Naeem Jabbar, Consultant Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, explained that most childhood cancers are curable if diagnosed and treated early. Unlike adult cancers, they are not linked to lifestyle factors. With proper treatment, cure rates can reach up to 85%. However, in Pakistan, poor survival is driven by delayed recognition of symptoms, shortage of trained specialists, inadequate supportive care, and high rates of treatment abandonment.

The most common childhood cancers include leukemia, lymphoma, brain and spinal tumors, bone tumors, soft tissue sarcomas, neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, and retinoblastoma. Effective treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy are available but often inaccessible to families in need.

Dr. Shumail Ashraf, Consultant Pediatric Oncology, highlighted that late presentation of cases remains the biggest challenge. Many families reach specialized facilities only after the disease has advanced. He emphasized the importance of community-level awareness to improve survival outcomes.

At the Indus Hospital in Karachi, all cancer treatment services are provided free of cost. Since 2014, more than 16,000 children have been treated, with approximately 1,300 under treatment at any given time. The average cost of a single chemotherapy session is around Rs7,000, while complete treatment may exceed Rs1.6 million — a burden many families cannot bear without support.

To expand access beyond Karachi, the Indus Hospital & Health Network has introduced a Shared Care Model, decentralizing pediatric oncology services. Since 2023, hundreds of patients in Sindh and Balochistan have received treatment at shared care centers, including facilities in Quetta, Badin, Nawabshah, Larkana, Shikarpur, and Karachi.

Experts reiterated that early diagnosis saves lives. They urged parents, teachers, healthcare providers, and media professionals to play their role in raising awareness, ensuring that every child has an equal chance at survival.