A child who develops pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer, has a good chance of being cured — if they live in a high-income country with access to experts.

For example, more than 80 percent of children with (low- and high-risk) ALL treated at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego survive, but 20 miles to the south in Tijuana, Mexico, and other low- and middle-income countries, survival odds range from 10 percent to 60 percent.

Since 2008, Rady has paired with Hospital General-Tijuana to share training, expertise, research and other resources. It’s paid off. Survival for standard risk ALL in Tijuana went from 73 percent before 2012 to 100 percent by 2017; for high-risk ALL, from 48 percent to 55 percent.