WHO Calls for Investment to Improve Child Cancer Survival

Key Developments:

• WHO releases comparable cancer survival data for 194 countries
• Survival gaps remain across regions and age groups
• WHO urges investment in care, training and essential medicines

(UNITED NATIONS) — September 24, 2026: The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for continued investment in childhood cancer care after releasing the first country-comparable five-year survival estimates for lymphoid leukaemia across all 194 Member States.

The new dataset, published through the WHO Global Health Observatory, provides a standardized baseline for governments and health authorities to monitor progress and identify areas where greater investment is needed. The data underpin findings from WHO’s Measuring Survival, Driving Change report, published in May 2026.

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WHO estimates that around 400,000 children and adolescents aged 19 or younger develop cancer each year. While survival has improved in many parts of the world, substantial differences remain between countries and regions.

According to WHO data, the global median five-year survival for lymphoid leukaemia among those aged 0 to 19 was 62.3% between 2017 and 2021. The figure was 66.7% for children aged 0 to 14, compared with 38.7% among adolescents aged 15 to 19.

WHO said survival is generally higher in high-income settings, while many low- and middle-income countries continue to face challenges involving timely diagnosis, access to treatment, essential medicines and the capacity of health services. WHO’s current childhood-cancer guidance says more than 80% of children with cancer are cured in high-income countries, compared with less than 30% in many low- and middle-income countries.

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“Childhood cancer is one of the clearest indicators of health system performance,” said Dr. Roberta Ortiz, Childhood Cancer Medical Officer at WHO.

The latest data also highlights differences between children and adolescents. WHO said teenagers aged 15 to 19 face a wider survival gap than younger children, with delays in diagnosis, differences between paediatric and adult cancer services and limited evidence on adolescent cancer care among the challenges affecting outcomes.

WHO has emphasized the importance of strengthening health infrastructure, workforce training and equitable access to treatment. The agency said that “strategic investments in infrastructure, training and equitable service delivery can dramatically improve survival.”

The World Health Organisation has advanced access to quality-assured, child-friendly cancer medicines. CREDIT: WHO.

The release of comparable data is intended to help countries track progress toward the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer target of achieving at least 60% survival for children with cancer by 2030. The initiative was launched in 2018 and uses the CureAll framework to support improvements in childhood cancer programmes.

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WHO has also taken recent steps to address access to childhood cancer medicines. On September 15, the agency published a 2026–2030 market-shaping strategy aimed at improving the availability, affordability, accessibility and quality assurance of essential medicines for children with cancer, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

WHO says the newly available survival estimates provide governments with a common baseline for measuring progress, comparing outcomes and identifying where health-system improvements and investment are most urgently required.

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