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Despite being classified as a high-income country, Panama still faces challenges in providing care for children and adolescents with cancer. Annually, 170 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed in Panama, and the survival rate is around 60%. To improve this, the establishment of a Pediatric Cancer Commission comprised of healthcare professionals and nonprofit organizations has been a critical step toward the objectives outlined in the CureAll framework of the World Health Organization Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC). To improve childhood cancer care in Panama, a workshop for cancer in children and adolescents was conducted with the support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado, the Ministry of Health of Panama, and the Pan American Health Organization. The commissions established were on: Nursing, Palliative Care, Psychosocial, Hospital Registry, Early Diagnosis, and Health Services. Each commission has a specific project to be implemented in the period 2021–2029 to continue the progress toward improving childhood cancer care. Since the start of implementation of the GICC in Panama, important achievements have included the launch in 2021 of the Guide for the Diagnosis of Cancer in Children and Adolescents, and training programs for primary care health personnel. Through these programs, more than 1 000 health professionals have been trained on diagnosis of cancer in childhood and adolescence. Challenges remain, such as access to quality care, and it is essential to continue efforts to improve childhood cancer care.

The Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) aims to increase the cure rate for children with cancer globally by improving healthcare access and quality. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (St. Jude), and collaborators have joined efforts to improve outcomes of children with cancer in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) using the CureAll framework. In this article, we describe the process of developing regional resources aimed at accelerating the GICC implementation in LAC. In March 2021, PAHO formed regional working groups to develop core projects aligned with CureAll pillars and enablers. Seven working groups emerged from regional dialogues: early detection, nursing, psychosocial, nutrition, supportive care, treatment abandonment, and palliative care. PAHO arranged regular online meetings under the mentorship and support of St. Jude regional/transversal programs and international mentors. Between April and December 2021, 202 multidisciplinary experts attended 43 online meetings to promote the dialogue between stakeholders to improve childhood cancer outcomes. Fourteen technical outputs were produced: four regional snapshots, four technical documents, two virtual courses, one set of epidemiological country profiles, one educational content series for parents/caregivers, and two communication campaigns. The ongoing dialogue and commitment of PAHO, St. Jude, LAC working committees, and international collaborators are essential foundations to successfully accelerate GICC implementation. This is achievable through the development of materials of regional and global relevance. Further research and evaluation are needed to determine the impact of these strategies and resources on childhood cancer outcomes in LAC and other regions.