The South Carolina Cancer Alliance and Department of Public Health unveiled the state's inaugural childhood cancer plan, which will anchor the pediatrics section of the upcoming 2027-2031 State Cancer Plan.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Cancer Alliance and the state Department of Public Health, working with the South Carolina Children’s Hospital Collaborative, released the state’s first pediatric cancer plan Tuesday, timed to Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, according to the Department of Public Health.
The document will become the pediatrics section of the 2027-2031 South Carolina State Cancer Plan, marking the first time the statewide plan has included a section dedicated to childhood cancer, according to the department. The full comprehensive cancer plan is set for release in February.
The plan aims to improve childhood cancer survival, strengthen quality of life for patients and families, and expand access to high-quality care, according to the department.
“This inaugural section represents what is possible when pediatric oncologists, cancer registry experts, parent advocates, and health systems across South Carolina come together around a shared mission,” said Nicole Echols, chief executive officer of the SC Cancer Alliance.
The plan was drafted by the South Carolina Pediatric Cancer Workgroup, made up of oncologists from the state’s three pediatric cancer treatment centers, Cancer Alliance leaders, department staff, parent advocates and a pediatric neurocognitive educator, according to the release.
“The development of the South Carolina Pediatric Cancer Plan was a collaborative effort requiring many voices every step of the way,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, acting director of the Department of Public Health.
The plan builds on the state’s first childhood cancer report, issued in 2024, which found a five-year relative survival rate of 84% for childhood cancer in South Carolina, an 11% increase over a 25-year study period, according to the department. That progress has produced a growing population of roughly 3,000 survivors statewide, making survivorship care a major focus of the new plan.
“Many of our patients strive to maintain their education during cancer treatment, and that was a top priority identified by families,” said Dr. Anna Hoppmann, a University of South Carolina School of Medicine pediatrics professor and Prisma Health pediatric oncologist. She said the plan includes a section on educational support and calls for a statewide toolkit developed with parents, educators and school psychologists.
Dr. Anca Dumitriu, a Medical University of South Carolina pediatric oncologist, said the plan calls for creating standardized, statewide survivorship care plans to guide lifelong monitoring for late effects of treatment.
The plan was endorsed by the South Carolina Children’s Hospital Collaborative, a nonprofit representing the state’s four children’s hospitals. “We are glad to support and endorse the collaborative efforts to improve the care of children in South Carolina with cancer,” said Dr. Caughman Taylor, the collaborative’s president and senior medical director at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital – Midlands.
The full pediatric cancer plan is available at sccancer.org/cancer-plan/pediatrics, according to the department.
Based on a release from S.C. Dept. of Public Health.
