An estimated 400,000 children and adolescents worldwide develop cancer each year. But only half are ever diagnosed—and where a child lives can determine whether they survive that diagnosis. More than 80% of children with cancer in high-income countries are cured, compared to less than 30% in many LMICs, according to the WHO. What’s the reason for this massive disparity?

“The standard of childhood cancer care found in wealthier nations—precise diagnosis, complex treatment regimens, and physical and psychological support—is inaccessible for many children in LMICs,” says Andrew Kung, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). 

That disparity inspired the SNF Global Pediatric Cancer Program, an initiative from the MSK Cancer Center and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) that “aims to improve outcomes for pediatric cancer patients through international health care collaborations,” says Andreas Dracopoulos, co-president of SNF. 

In a Q&A with GHN, Kung and Dracopoulos discuss the global state of pediatric cancer, and what solutions are necessary to improve it.