Health Professionals encouraged to ensure proper diagnosis of childhood cancers

Health Professionals have been urged to go beyond routine clinical tests for malaria and typhoid in children presenting persistent systems as childhood cancers often ‘mimic’ these diseases.

Dr. Nihad Salifu, a pediatric oncologist, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that delayed diagnosis, coupled with high treatment cost and inadequate healthcare infrastructure, hindered Ghana’s goal of achieving an 80 percent treatment success rate for childhood cancers.

According to him, diagnosis alone costs more than GHS 2,000, making it unaffordable for many families. He added that approximately 1,200 to 1,500 children under 15 developed cancer annually in Ghana, with Burkitt’s lymphoma, leukemia, and retinoblastoma being the most common types. 

He said that despite an 80 percent cure rate, only 20 – 40 percent of children survived due to late diagnosis and high costs.

Dr. Salifu indicated that the country had only two state radiotherapy centres across the country: Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and Okomfo Anokye, which required that parents with children in that condition travel long distances, amidst other risks, to seek care.

That aside, the machines, with the associated loads of care, broke down frequently, disrupting care and aggravating issues in the network of care.

The situation had hampered the survival rate, which currently stood around 30 percent in many cases, compared to over 80 percent in high-income nations.

Since November 2021, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), though covered four main childhood cancers: Burkitt’s lymphoma, Wilms’ tumor, retinoblastoma, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, parents still bore huge financial burden in treatment. 

He noted that late presentation at hospitals, abandonment of treatment due to costs, and shortage of specialized staff mostly contributed to “bad” outcomes in caring for childhood cancers. 

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) would support Ghana to improve early detection and treatment, while partnerships with pharmaceutical companies aimed to increase access to cancer medicines by 2026. 

Dr. Nihad Salifu, therefore, appealed to corporate organizations to continue to support the care of children and families with these life-threatening conditions, as well as the establishment of radiotherapy centres across the country to speed up care, as children were the future leaders of the country.

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