Every year, an estimated 400 000 children worldwide develop cancer – only half of whom are ever diagnosed. Most of them live in low- and middle-income countries and, at best, 30 per cent will be cured. The needless suffering that these children endure is compounded by malnutrition, misdiagnoses, inaccessible treatments and a lack of specialized health professionals.
“The IAEA is working to remedy this reality and deliver the care that these children deserve,” said Najat Mokhtar, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, in her opening remarks at a side event on the Battle against Childhood Cancer: Finding a Ray of Hope, during the 67th regular session of the IAEA General Conference. “The IAEA has leveraged scientific expertise, good will and opportunity throughout the entire continuum of care to strengthen the capacities of its Member States – giving them and their children a fighting chance against cancer,” she said.
Source: Addressing the Burden of Childhood Cancers Globally: Finding a Ray of Hope
