Child cancer is highly curable. Yet this advance is restricted to people living in high income countries. About 80% of cases live in low to middle income countries where survival ranges between 10 and 30%. Estimates suggest that 100,000 children die each year from cancer, which no chance of cure, pain relief or other supportive care. Misdiagnosis, refusal of treatment, lack of trained doctors, abandonment of therapy, toxic death or lack of resources and affordable drugs contribute to the poor survival rates of the disease in developing countries.

This programme looks at projects that have been set up by World Child Cancer to develop children's cancer services. Includes a feature from Malawi, where Burkitt's lymphoma predominates, and an interview with the only paediatric oncologist on the Philippino island of Mindanao. She has set up two satellite centres and uses tele-video conferencing to help diagnose patients who are unable to travel to the main cancer centre. Studio guest is Professor Tim Eden, who has been working in paediatric oncology for over 40 years.