Every three minutes, a child dies of cancer.

The true number of children afflicted with cancer is unknown because most of are undiagnosed. Each year, an estimated 400,000 children and adolescents develop cancer.

In high-income countries, where comprehensive services are generally accessible, more than 80% of children who received a cancer diagnosis are ultimately cured. But, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the cure rate drops to less than 30%. For example, from 2015 to 2019, the average global 5-year childhood cancer survival rate ranged from less than 12% in Africa to 83% in North America.

Most childhood cancers can be cured with generic medicines and other forms of treatment, including surgery and radiotherapy.

Yet only 29% of low-income countries report that cancer medicines are generally available to their populations, compared to 96% of high-income countries (Lancet Oncol 2018; 19: e252–66)

In these low-income countries:

• Childhood cancer is often detected too late
• There is an insufficient number of well-trained health professionals
• Appropriate treatment is often unavailable or not affordable
• Pain management and palliative care are limited
• Childhood cancer is often not a health priority

To address this inequality, the My Child Matters (MCM) program was launched in 2005 by the previous foundation at Sanofi; the Sanofi Espoir Foundation to provide financial support, aid from international experts, networking and sharing of experiences, as well as annual reviews by mentors and a steering committee consisting of pediatric oncology experts for low-resource countries.

My Child Matters is a collaboration with many partners, such as the Group Franco-Africain d’Oncologie Pédiatrique (GFAOP), the International Society for Pediatric Oncology (SIOP), experts from the various Hospitals across the world, as well as other institutions and organizations.