Child cancer care in focus at Samarkand summit and pediatric oncology congress

In Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the world summit “Investing in Children: Path to Sustainable and Equitable Development for Future Generations” is concluding. Over two days, experts from more than 100 countries discussed how to protect children from various catastrophes. The II International Congress on Pediatric Oncology and Hematology was held alongside the summit.

The congress heard that about 400,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer each year. Eighty percent are cured in developed countries, compared with 30 percent in developing countries. Khalilur Rahman, president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, said global survival should reach at least 60 percent by 2030 and that no family should have to choose between treatment and food. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a video address, described a visit to an oncology center in Tashkent.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said about 83 percent of young cancer patients recover in Russia. Kazakhstan's Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova proposed a bone marrow donor registry for Central Asia. In Uzbekistan, 23 percent of patients were at stages I and II in 2023, while more than 70 percent were at stage IV.