title: The burden of childhood cancer in Mexico: Implications for low- and middle-income countries.
abstract: In Mexico, childhood cancer incidence and mortality have increased in the last decade. Through government actions since 2005, the Popular Medical Insurance (PMI) program for childhood cancer was created. The objective of PMI was to offer early cancer diagnosis, standardized treatment regimens, and numerous pediatric oncology residency programs. It has also accredited 55 national hospitals for the care of these children. Current problems still present under the PMI include shortage of pediatric oncologists and nurses and high rate of abandonment of treatment. Our aim is to describe the current scenario of childhood cancer care in Mexico, especially from the perspective of the PMI and how it has impacted human resources, infrastructure, and medical education.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Hem/Oncology, National Institute of Pediatrics (NIP), Mexico City, Mexico.|Program of the National Council for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Cancer, CENSIA, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rivera-Luna
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology, National Institute of Pediatrics (NIP), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zapata-Tarres
authors.affiliation: Program of the National Council for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Cancer, CENSIA, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shalkow-Klincovstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology, National Institute of Pediatrics (NIP), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Velasco-Hidalgo
authors.affiliation: Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, National Institute of Pediatrics (NIP), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olaya-Vargas
authors.affiliation: General Direction of Development of Health Services, Office of the Fund for Protection Against Catastrophic Expenses for Childhood Cancer from the Popular Medical Insurance, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Finkelstein-Mizrahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology, National Institute of Pediatrics (NIP), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cárdenas-Cardós
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology, National Institute of Pediatrics (NIP), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Marco R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Aguilar-Ortiz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Childhood Cancer in Mexico; Epidemiology