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Seventy-five per cent of children who develop cancer in Ghana are likely to die. This is as a result of lack of access to treatment centres, late reporting, ignorance and lack of finance on the part of parents of the affected children. Dr Lorna Awo Renner, Consultant Paediatrician at the Department of Child Health, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, disclosed this to The Finder in an interview in Accra. She stated that an estimated 1,000 cases of childhood cancer are expected to be recorded each year, but only 25% of the estimated numbers are recorded at the Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye hospitals. Dr Renner was quick to point out that the situation could be reverted. In her explanation, childhood cancers are curable, only if detected early. She stated that the treatment was expensive and could not be afforded by the average Ghanaian. She said �treatment for childhood cancers ranged from GHC600 to GHC12,000 depending on the type of cancer it was.� Dr Renner bemoaned the fact that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) did not include childhood cancers, though it had cervical and breast cancers on its claims. She said when treatment of childhood cancer is included on the NHIS, it would go a long way to save many lives. Explaining further, she said Burkitt�s lymphoma, which is detected through swelling on the face or jaws and many more, could be treated over three months at a cost of GHC600, adding that 70% of such cases can be cured. �In respect to retinoblastoma, which starts when the baby is in the womb, 90% can totally be cured if they are detected early,� Dr Renner said. It is treated between seven to eight months at a cost of GHC1,500. She added that leukaemia takes a longer period to treat, between two to three years, at a cost of GHC12,000. She stated that children respond better to treatment in their formative stages than when they become adults. When asked about the causes of childhood cancers, Dr Renner replied that very little was known. However, she stated that cell abnormalities, radiation, drug and chemical, genetic factors, infections from hepatitis B and HIV were attributed to it. She appealed to government to launch the National Cancer Control Plan to deal with cancer issues effectively and efficiently. Also, she called for a cancer registry to be established to determine the size of the problem and for epidemiological studies. The Consultant Paediatrician called on health workers all over the world to be very vigilant in the detection of childhood cancers. She expressed disappointment at some of the stories parents brought to their unit, stating that when they detect something and send it to some of these health facilities, they are dismissed with the excuse that the problems are nothing. Dr Renner called on parents to be more observant and report any slight abnormality in their wards to the hospital. According to her, persistent headaches, swollen head, neck and abdomen, unexplained fever, weight loss, bleeding pallor and fatigue should be reported to the hospital immediately. She thanked all individuals and organisations who have shouldered the expenses of some of the cases brought to the unit over the years. Dr Renner called on other donors and NGOs to come to their support, reiterating that government cannot do it alone.