Building a transdisciplinary network to improve survival in children with cancer in Colombia: seeds to forests

Childhood cancer mortality is disproportionately higher in low- and middle-income countries than high-income countries. The World Health Organization Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer aims for a survival of 60% by 2030. This initiative prioritizes timely diagnosis, access to standardized therapy and supportive care, and prompt management of treatment-related complications. Collaborative work is linked to better performance of health systems and delivery of high-quality care. While collaborative strategies between high- and lower-income countries can advance cancer care in low- and middle-income countries, local and regional initiatives are essential to improve clinical outcomes. The high treatment-related mortality in children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries highlights the critical need to collaborate. To decrease treatment-related mortality in children with cancer in Colombia, a new model of transdisciplinary collaboration was built among Colombian scientific societies (pediatrics, pediatric hematology/oncology, infectious diseases, critical care), academic institutions, grassroots foundations, and the Colombian Childhood Cancer Clinical Outcomes Surveillance System: VIGICANCER. The network supports resource and knowledge exchange to tackle public health challenges related to accessing cancer care for children. It enables the design of targeted and tiered multilevel interventions to enhance quality of care for Colombian children and adolescents with cancer. This transdisciplinary network aims to improve survival in Colombian children with cancer and close the gap with high-income countries by establishing data-informed targets and developing a strategic roadmap to address sepsis, the most actionable cause of treatment-related mortality. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the number of years of life lost, thereby supporting societal progress in Latin America.