[Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/lancet-childhood-cancer-progress-not-en... ]
Dear CHIFA colleagues,
Thank you, Neil, for sharing this powerful and sobering editorial. The figures are deeply concerning, especially the reality that the majority of childhood cancer deaths in low- and middle-income countries are preventable.
What stands out to me is not only the gap in access to treatment, but the earlier and often less visible gap in recognition, diagnosis, and timely action. When up to half of children in low-income settings are never diagnosed, it points to a critical breakdown in how knowledge is reaching—and being used by—frontline health workers and communities.
From my perspective, this is where the global evidence ecosystem must work better as a whole. It is not enough for evidence to exist—we need it to be translated into simple, context-appropriate tools that support early suspicion, prompt referral, and continuity of care. For example, integrating childhood cancer awareness into routine child health platforms such as immunization services is a practical and promising approach, as highlighted.
I strongly support the idea of a CHIFA-facilitated discussion on knowledge translation for childhood cancer [*see note below]. It would be particularly valuable to hear from frontline providers on:
How they currently recognise and respond to suspected cancer cases
What practical tools or guidance they rely on (or lack)
What barriers they face in applying available knowledge
Ultimately, improving outcomes will depend on how effectively we bridge the gap between what we know and what is done in practice—especially at the primary care and community levels.
I look forward to contributing to this important discussion.
Warm regards,
Rabia Khaji
CHIFA profile: Rabia Abeid Khaji is the Head of Monitoring and Evaluation and TB Portfolio at SHDEPHA+ in Tanzania. Her professional work is fundamentally centered on overcoming barriers to health information access, particularly for healthcare professionals and vulnerable communities in low-resource settings.
Her experience includes:
- Gender and Equity Focus: She recently led a comprehensive TB gender assessment for Tanzania and contributed to the national TB Gender Operational Plan, directly engaging with the challenges of equitable access to health information and publishing.
- Community-Led Monitoring: She developed frameworks for Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) of TB services, empowering communities to identify and report service gaps—a process that deeply resonates with understanding end-user needs in the evidence ecosystem.
- Research and Advocacy: She co-authored published operational research on TB and has extensive experience presenting findings at international conferences, such as the Union World Conference on Lung Health, International Aids Society etc. I understand the critical importance of disseminating research findings effectively to impact policy and practice.
- Stakeholder Engagement: She serves on the boards of the Tanzania STOP TB Partnership and the Tanzania TB Community Network (TTCN), and is a member of the SMART4TB Afro Community Advisory Board. These roles require constant collaboration with diverse stakeholders, from policymakers to community health workers.
[*Note from CHIFA co-moderator (NPW): Thank you Rabia. As stated in my previous message: "On behalf of CHIFA I would like to offer our discussion platform for a dedicated sponsored discussion on how to improve knowledge translation for child cancer. We would set up a project working group to plan and implement a 4-6-week exploration on the CHIFA forum of any or all aspects of knowledge translation, including challenges to generate, publish, synthesise, repackage, avail and apply evidence on child cancer in policy and practice." I invite CHIFA members and organisations to co-sponsor this effort. For more information about HIFA/CHIFA projects see: www.hifa.org/partners ]