Aliança AMARTE: A Collaborative Network to Improve Oncologic Pediatric Care in Brazil.

Introduction: In Brazil, inequalities in access to treatment and survival of childhood cancer are observed across different geographic regions. In 2014, under the coordination of Hospital de Câncer Infantojuvenil de Barretos (Fundação Pio XII), six hospitals met weekly for case discussion. In 2019, the AMARTE (Apoio Maior Aumentando Recursos e Treinamentos Especializados) Alliance officially began with the aim to improve the quality of pediatric oncology care in Brazil and became a collaborative network of innovation, research, and learning with 31 member institutions in 2024.

Childhood Cancer Survivors in Latin America: Insights Into Health Outcomes and Information Needs.

Background: Childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) face long-term health challenges, yet the health and specific needs of Latin American survivors remain underexplored. This study aimed to describe the health-related, psychosocial late effects, and information needs among CCSs in the region.

Methods: This mixed-method study combined quantitative data from an online survey with qualitative insights from follow-up interviews, involving CCSs from the largest regional survivor network and additional participants recruited through snowball sampling.

Advances in the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer: implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This report describes the status of childhood cancer control initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Progress between 2017 and 2023 is measured using the outcome indicators from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) childhood cancer logic model aligned with the World Health Organization Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC). This report also describes the advances, barriers, and facilitators for the implementation of the GICC at the Regional level.

Regional collaboration for the development of national childhood cancer plans in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This article aims to describe the activities conducted by the National Childhood Cancer Plan Working Group to support the development of national childhood cancer plans in Latin America and the Caribbean in the period 2019-2022, and to present the stage of plan development. The Working Group activities were supported by the Pan American Health Organization and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which is the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Childhood Cancer.

Strengthening public health policies for childhood cancer: Peru's achievements through the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer.

Objective: To report the progress in Peru, since June 2019, in the implementation of the World Health Organization Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer using the Cure framework, which can be replicated in low- and middle-income countries.

Methods: A mixed method was used of participatory and documentary evaluation. The participatory evaluation included stakeholders from various government institutions, nonprofit organizations, and international partners.

Financial hardship in families of children or adolescents with cancer: a systematic literature review.

Financial hardship in childhood cancer contributes to poor health outcomes and global disparities in survival, but the extent of the financial burden on families is not yet fully understood. We systematically reviewed financial hardship prevalence and individual components characterising financial hardship across six domains (medical, non-medical, and indirect costs, financial strategies, psychosocial responses, and behavioural responses) and compared characteristics across country income levels using an established theory of human needs. We included 123 studies with data spanning 47 countries.

Physician Perceptions of and Barriers to Pediatric Palliative Care for Children With Cancer in Brazil.

Purpose: Early integration of pediatric palliative care (PPC) for children with cancer is critical to improving the quality of life of both the patient and family. Understanding physician perceptions of palliative care and perceived barriers to early integration is necessary to develop PPC in Brazil.

Methods: The Assessing Doctors' Attitudes on Palliative Treatment survey was modified for use in Brazil.

Partnering to implement the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer in the Americas: prioritizing systems strengthening.

Working with PAHO/WHO to prioritize childhood cancer in the context of systems strengthening is central to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (SJCRH)'s role as WHO Collaborating Centre for Childhood Cancer. This manuscript focuses on how SJCRH and PAHO/WHO have partnered to apply C5 (Country Collaboration for Childhood Cancer Control) to define and implement priority actions regionally, strengthening Ministry programs for childhood cancer, while implementing the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer since 2018.

Equity in national cancer control plans in the region of the Americas.

Many social determinants that are outside an individual's control affect their exposure to cancer risk factors and access to high-quality care. There is increasing recognition that national cancer control plans are fundamental tools to address cancer burden and promote equitable care. To investigate how policies in the WHO region of the Americas promote equity in cancer care, we evaluated 46 cancer-related health plans covering 34 countries.