Addressing Psychosocial Support in Children with Cancer in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Excerpt

Effective management of children with cancer is quantified by statistical figures such as overall and event-free-survival [1]. The numbers reflect the proportions of children that survive, irrespective of the quality of life. The world has witnessed a dramatic increase in survival of children with cancer. The cornerstone of managing children with cancer typically includes ensuring universal access to treatment, achieving cure and minimizing the toxicity of cytotoxic therapy. International groups now recognize psychosocial support as an additional vital component in oncological services, to provide a good quality of life to children and their families [2]. Low-and-middle income countries (LMIC) such as India continue to lag behind the developed world in the survival of children with cancers [3]. Centers offering pediatric oncology services in LMIC need to address obstacles such as socioeconomic and educational disparity, sub-optimal infrastructure, an unfavorable trained health professional to patient ratio and treatment abandonment [3]. Adapted treatment protocols aimed at maximizing cure and minimizing treatment-related morbidity/mortality are prioritized in LMIC [4]. Consequently, non-pharmacological interventions such as psychosocial support tend to take a back-seat. …