Peter Pan raises awareness of childhood cancer.

Rome's Peter Pan charitable association, which provides support for families with children and teenagers suffering from cancer or leukemia, is marking World Childhood Cancer Day with a series of initiatives this week.

Cancer remains among the leading causes of death in children around the world, with more than 400,000 children and adolescents under the age of 20 receiving a cancer diagnosis each year.

The survival rate is 80 per cent in most high-income countries, but only 20 per cent in low- and middle-income countries, according to Peter Pan.

In Italy, around 1,500 children and 900 adolescents are affected by tumors and leukemia, with around 85 per cent of leukemia patients still alive five years or more after their diagnosis, and around 70 per cent for other forms of cancer. However approximately 500 minors do not survive.

The Casa di Peter Pan, located in the Trastevere district, each year welcomes dozens of families from all over Italy, and further afield, whose children travel to Rome for specialist cancer treatment.

In addition to free accommodation, the association offers support services and space for guests to socialise, providing families with some sense of normality during a traumatic time.

International Childhood Cancer Day is an initiative promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise public awareness of the problems faced by children and adolescents with cancer and their families.

Peter Pan will mark the occasion by promoting initiatives aimed at spreading awareness about cancer and how to access treatments and care for children and adolescents affected by the disease.

In addition to a blood donation drive, the association will launch weekly pet therapy sessions and, in collaboration with the Parco archeologico del Colosseo, guests of Peter Pan will be able to enjoy exclusive guided tours of the Colosseum.

Peter Pan also invites the public to support a digital fundraising campaign in which it will be possible, in exchange for financial support for the services offered by the association, to leave a message of love and hope for the numerous families hosted at Casa di Peter Pan.

For further information and to participate in the initiatives, visit the Peter Pan website.