At the 3rd SingHealth Peritoneal Surface Oncology Conference, held in Singapore this March, one message stood out with striking clarity: cancer care for young people cannot follow the same template as that for older adults.

Cancer is a leading cause of death for children and adolescents worldwide. In high-income countries more than 80% of children with cancer are cured, but in many low and middle income countries (LMICs) only 20% are cured.