We must share our knowledge to help all children with cancer
By Morris Kletzel
Most children with cancer who live in the Western Hemisphere and other developed nations receive a positive prognosis — overall about 80 percent survive, and with some types of cancer, like Wilms’ tumor and Hodgkin’s disease, the survival rate can reach nearly 100 percent.
However, this is not the case where the majority of the world’s children live. The survival rate for childhood cancer varies by country, ranging from 10 to 50 percent. Barriers to better survival rates include expensive medications and lack of access, as many children live in remote areas without a mode of transportation to a cancer center. But in my view, the factor most hindering childhood cancer survival worldwide is not enough sharing of medical knowledge and training with our counterparts in developing nations. This is the area where leading centers like Children’s Memorial Hospital can make a significant and lasting impact on millions of children’s lives.
I, along with my colleagues in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, have been involved in international efforts for many years. We’ve established a visiting physician program, welcoming physicians from all over the world, including Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Croatia, Poland, Chile and Japan, who want to learn about pediatric stem cell transplantation in order to develop similar programs in their native countries. The candidates pay their own way; we simply share our insight during the months that they are here to observe and learn. Afterwards, we continue to advise and mentor them as our sister programs.
It is important to note that these physicians are talented and accomplished in their own right. What they are able to do with limited resources is truly humbling and inspires us to work even harder for our patients. These partnerships benefit all involved. I have particularly strong ties with physicians in Latin America because of my Mexican heritage and bilingual ability. I communicate regularly with the director of an oncology center in Mexico City. Together we’re working to standardize its treatment protocols so that a child in Mexico who needs a stem cell transplant will have the same opportunity for survival as a child in the U.S.
We also participate in a medical student exchange program with Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, and our faculty members have been visiting professors at institutions in Israel, Japan and Venezuela, among others. I believe that all children deserve the opportunity to survive cancer, no matter where they live. We must do our part — by sharing our knowledge — to improve the health of all children, not just those fortunate enough to be born in the U.S. or other developed nations. When the survival of a child in Africa or South America is similar to that of a child in the U.S., I will be satisfied that we have achieved progress for all children with cancer.
Morris Kletzel, MD, is one of the foremost authorities on pediatric stem cell transplants in the U.S. He heads Children’s Memorial Hospital’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, which is a part of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. Dr. Kletzel is a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and the Meryl Suzanne Weiss Professor of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation.
This article first appeared in the Fall 2009 issue of Heroes magazine. For a dose of inspiration sent right to your inbox, sign up to receive our Heroes Update. Or read important facts about us.