The SJD and the PAHO promote a network to broaden access to treatment for children with cancer

More than 160 healthcare professionals from the Andean subregion are taking part in a project to improve healthcare provision in childhood cancer cases, with particular focus on bone marrow transplantation. The initiative is part of a collaboration agreement between the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital, a leading international reference center in pediatric oncology, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Pediatric cancer remains one of the main causes of death in Latin America and the Caribbean. Each year, around 30,000 cases are diagnosed, with around 10,000 children and teenagers sadly passing away from the disease. Even though the survival rates are higher than 80% in high-income countries, survival rates are lower in many countries in the region due to late diagnoses and difficulties accessing complex treatments such as HSCT.

The project brings together specialists from Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Together, they analyse clinical cases, share experiences, update protocols and work on the creation of a regional network for referring patients and improving access to transplant resources. They are also working on technical guidelines and informational materials for families.

The experience of the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital

The SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital plays a decisive role in this process. The hospital offers its expertise in pediatric transplantation, in education and in research. Its Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, led by Pediatric Hematologist Júlia Marsal, is an active participant in multidisciplinary meetings and the exchange of knowledge between various teams in the region.

According to Dr Marsal: ‘The participation of our hospital's transplant unit in this project is very important to the team. Having the chance to help our colleagues in the Andean subregion get better access to HSCT in their countries is a real challenge and an opportunity for everyone’. It also emphasises the importance of collaboration: ‘We at the SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital offer our experience of various topics in the area of transplantation at multidisciplinary meetings, so that professionals in the region have a point of contact, can explain their needs or difficulties, and so that, together, we can help build experience in this field’.

The agreement between the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital and the PAHO is not limited to transplantation. It also seeks to consolidate professional training, the exchange of good practices and regional collaboration to improve access to treatments for childhood cancer. This collaboration aligns with the CureAll Americas initiative by the World Health Organisation, which aims to increase pediatric cancer survival rates to at least 60% by 2030 in countries with fewer resources.