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Cotache-Condor C, Kantety V, Grimm A, Williamson J, Landrum KR, Schroeder K, Staton C, Majaliwa E, Tang S, Rice HE, Smith ER. Determinants of delayed childhood cancer care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2023; 70:e30175. [PMID: 36579761 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Early access to care is essential to improve survival rates for childhood cancer. This study evaluates the determinants of delays in childhood cancer care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through a systematic review of the literature. We proposed a novel Three-Delay framework specific to childhood cancer in LMICs by summarizing 43 determinants and 24 risk factors of delayed cancer care from 95 studies. Traditional medicine, household income, lack of transportation, rural population, parental education, and travel distance influenced most domains of our framework. Our novel framework can be used as a policy tool toward improving cancer care and outcomes for children in LMICs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vinootna Kantety
- Department of Public Health, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | - Andie Grimm
- Birmingham's Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | | | - Kelsey R Landrum
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kristin Schroeder
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Catherine Staton
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, Duke School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Esther Majaliwa
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania
| | - Shenglan Tang
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Henry E Rice
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Emily R Smith
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, Duke School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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2
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Olarte-Sierra MF, Rossell N, Zubieta M, Challinor J. Parent Engagement and Agency in Latin American Childhood Cancer Treatment: A Qualitative Investigation. JCO Glob Oncol 2021; 6:1729-1735. [PMID: 33180634 PMCID: PMC7713522 DOI: 10.1200/go.20.00306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Parent engagement in childhood cancer treatment is central for positive outcomes. Aspects of fruitful engagement have been described mainly in high-income countries (HICs) where family autonomy is valued, health care provider-patient relationships are less hierarchical, and active family participation in health care is welcomed. In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), these aspects are not always valued or encouraged. We explored childhood cancer treatment engagement in Latin America as part of a larger engagement study in 10 LMICs worldwide. METHODS A qualitative investigation was conducted with parents (with the exception of one grandmother and two aunts in loco parentis; n = 21) of children with cancer in El Salvador, Peru, and Mexico. Participants were recruited by two Childhood Cancer International foundations and two local hospitals. A pediatric oncology psychologist and a medical anthropologist (experienced, native Latin Americans researchers) conducted focus-group discussions and in-depth interviews that were recorded and transcribed, and analyzed data. RESULTS Parents in the three countries actively engage in their child’s treatment, despite challenges of communicating effectively with health care staff. Hierarchical health care provider relationships and generalized socioeconomic disparities and cultural diversity with health care staff notwithstanding, parents find ways to navigate cancer treatment by exerting their agency and exploiting resources they have at hand. CONCLUSION In Latin America, engagement materializes in ways that are not necessarily reflected in existing literature from HICs and, thus, engagement may seem nonexistent. Health care teams’ recognition of parents’ substantial sacrifices to adhere to complex demands as treatment engagement, may positively impact the children’s (and family’s) quality of life, treatment experience, adherence, and posttreatment circumstances.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marcela Zubieta
- Oncology Unit, Hospital Exequiel Gonzalez Cortes, Fundación Nuestros Hijos, Santiago de Chile, Chile
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3
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Fuentes-Alabi S. Effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on paediatric cancer care in low-income and middle-income countries. THE LANCET. CHILD & ADOLESCENT HEALTH 2021; 5:311-313. [PMID: 33675697 PMCID: PMC9765324 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-4642(21)00058-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Soad Fuentes-Alabi
- Centro Medico Ayudame a Vivir, San Salvador, El Salvador,National Children's Hospital Benjamin Bloom, San Salvador 01101, El Salvador
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Sharma R. A Systematic Examination of Burden of Childhood Cancers in 183 Countries: Estimates from GLOBOCAN 2018. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) 2021; 30:e13438. [PMID: 33723880 DOI: 10.1111/ecc.13438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Childhood cancers are a significant cause of child deaths worldwide. This study examines the burden of 33 childhood cancers in 183 countries. METHODS The estimates of age-, sex- and country-wise incidence and deaths due to 33 childhood cancers (below the age 15) for 183 countries were retrieved from GLOBOCAN 2018. The socioeconomic status of a country was measured by human development index (HDI). RESULTS Globally, an estimated 200 166 cases and 74 956 deaths were attributed to childhood cancers in 2018. The age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR) was 103 per million, whereas the age-standardised mortality rate (ASMR) stood at 38 per million. ASIR was highest in high-income regions (e.g. North America: 182 per million); ASMR, however, was elevated in low- and medium-income countries (e.g. south-east Asia: 62 per million; North Africa: 51 per million). Leukaemia and brain cancers were dominant cancer groups accounting for 45% of cases and 57% of deaths. The ASIRs exhibited a positive gradient with HDI ( R 2 = 0.46 ) . CONCLUSION The high burden of childhood cancers (>80% of total incidence) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) calls for increased cancer awareness, improvement in oncologic infrastructure, international collaborations and twinning programmes, equitable access to multi-modal treatment and financial coverage of treatment expenses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajesh Sharma
- University School of Management and Entrepreneurship, Delhi Technological University, Delhi, India
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Ahuja S, Sharma J, Gupta S, Bakhshi S, Seth R, Singh A, Bagai P, Arora RS. Patient tracking during treatment of children with cancer in India - An exploratory study. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2021; 5:e1359. [PMID: 33624448 PMCID: PMC9199505 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.1359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Abandonment of treatment, a major cause of treatment failure in low- and middle-income countries like India, is particularly high during the diagnostic and initial phase of treatment. Tracking of patients during this risk period may reduce treatment abandonment rates and increase quality of care. AIM The primary aim was to pilot the use and check the acceptability of a tool for tracking children with cancer in New Delhi during the initial part of their treatment. Secondary aim was to estimate abandonment rates among these patients. METHODS This prospective study was carried out in two centers of North India in New Delhi and enrolled children less than 18 years diagnosed with cancer at these centers and who had registered with Cankids for social support. Parent support group (PSG) workers maintained contact with the child's family at least once a week for the first 12 weeks. Details of each contact and subsequent action were recorded in a customized book (called "You are not alone" or YANA Book). Descriptive analysis of these contacts was done in Microsoft Excel and presented in frequencies and percentages. The five-point Likert scale was used to check the acceptability of the tool among the PSG workers. RESULTS Seven PSG workers enrolled and tracked 81 patients (73% male with a median age of 6 years). During the 12-week study period, 986 contacts were attempted and three (3.7%) patients had abandoned their treatment. All PSG workers strongly agreed that the YANA book was simple to understand and use, decreased their workload, and helped provide better assistance to patients. CONCLUSION The tool for patient tracking was well accepted by the PSG workers and considered easy to use. We now plan to implement our model as a routine service at all the partnering hospitals in India.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ahuja
- Quality Care Research and Impact, Cankids, New Delhi, India
| | - J Sharma
- Quality Care Research and Impact, Cankids, New Delhi, India
| | - S Gupta
- Division of Haematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - S Bakhshi
- Department of Medical Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - R Seth
- Department of Paediatrics, Division of Paediatric Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - A Singh
- Department of Paediatrics, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India
| | - P Bagai
- Quality Care Research and Impact, Cankids, New Delhi, India
| | - R S Arora
- Quality Care Research and Impact, Cankids, New Delhi, India.,Max Super-Speciality Hospital, Medical Oncology, New Delhi, India
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Gupta AK, Meena JP, Seth R. Reasons for missed chemotherapy appointments in retinoblastoma patients undergoing chemotherapy: A report from a Tertiary Care Hospital from India. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2020; 3:e1279. [PMID: 32881413 PMCID: PMC7941559 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.1279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Delays in chemotherapy due to missed‐appointments can lead to sub‐optimal outcomes in any cancer. Missed appointments or delayed follow up are an important concern in the treatment of pediatric cancers as it compromises the patient's health and overall outcomes. Aim This study was conducted to understand the reasons responsible for missed‐appointments in Retinoblastoma (RB) patients scheduled for daycare based chemotherapy. Methods We prospectively recorded the causes for missed‐appointments in RB patients from February 2018 to September 2018. A delay of more than 48‐hours from the pre‐scheduled date of chemotherapy was categorized as a “missed‐appointment.” Results Out of 870 scheduled visits of patients with RB for chemotherapy to our center, there were 122 (14%) instances of missed‐appointments during the study period. There were 40 instances (4.6%) where the patient had missed‐appointments (possibly avoidable reasons). These 40 instances occurred in 33 patients who had a median age of 29 months (IQR 22.5‐51.5 m) with 22 males. Six patients lived within 100 km of the treating center, 12 lived between 100 and 500 km, and 15 patients lived beyond 500 km. The median length of delay was 13.75 days (IQR‐7‐20.75 days). Twenty‐seven patients used a train as a means of transport, and 10 used the state‐bus. The main cause of delay was the illness of other family members (52.5%) followed by financial issues (27.5%), transport‐related problems (10%), and absence of an adult to accompany (10%). Conclusion Causes for missed‐appointments for chemotherapy in RB patients were multifactorial and included the illness of other family members, financial issues, distance/transport‐related problems, and no caregiver to accompany. The future study with a large sample size with a multicenter design is needed to confirm the results of the current study and to know the deficiency in the improvement of the follow‐up RB patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Kumar Gupta
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Department of PediatricsAll India Institute of Medical SciencesNew DelhiDelhiIndia
| | - Jagdish Prasad Meena
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Department of PediatricsAll India Institute of Medical SciencesNew DelhiDelhiIndia
| | - Rachna Seth
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Department of PediatricsAll India Institute of Medical SciencesNew DelhiDelhiIndia
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Childhood cancer in Latin America: from detection to palliative care and survivorship. Cancer Epidemiol 2020; 71:101837. [PMID: 33121936 DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2020.101837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Treatment options for childhood cancer have improved substantially, although in many low- and middle-income countries survival is lagging behind. Integral childhood cancer care involves the whole spectrum from detection and diagnosis to palliative and survivorship care. METHODS Based on a literature review and expert opinions, we summarized current practice and recommendations on the following aspects of childhood cancer in Latin America: diagnostic processes and time to diagnosis, stage at diagnosis, treatments and complications, survivorship programs and palliative care and end-of-life services. RESULTS Latin America is a huge and heterogeneous continent. Identified barriers show similar problems between countries, both logistically (time and distance to centers, treatment interruptions) and financially (cost of care, cost of absence from work). Governmental actions in several countries improved the survival of children with cancer, but difficulties persist in timely diagnosis and providing adequate treatment to all childhood cancer patients in institutions with complete infrastructure. Treatment abandonment is still common, although the situation is improving. Cancer care in the region has mostly focused on acute treatment of the disease and has not adequately considered palliative and end-of-life care and monitoring of survivors. CONCLUSIONS Decentralizing diagnostic activities and centralizing specialized treatment will remain necessary; measures to facilitate logistics and costs of transportation of the child and caretakers should be implemented. Twinning actions with specialized centers in high income countries for help in diagnosis, treatment and education of professionals and family members have been shown to work. Palliative and end-of-life care as well as childhood cancer survivorship plans are needed.
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Chagaluka G, Paintsil V, Renner L, Weijers J, Chitsike I, Borgstein E, Kamiza S, Afungchwi GM, Kouya F, Hesseling P, Molyneux E, Israels T. Improvement of overall survival in the Collaborative Wilms Tumour Africa Project. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2020; 67:e28383. [PMID: 32391983 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.28383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The Collaborative Wilms Tumour (WT) Africa Project implemented an adapted WT treatment guideline in six centres in sub-Saharan Africa. The primary objectives were to describe abandonment of treatment, death during treatment, event-free survival (EFS) and relapse following implementation. An exploratory objective was to compare outcomes with the baseline evaluation, a historical cohort preceding implementation. METHODS The Collaborative WT Africa Project is a multi-centre prospective clinical trial that began in 2014. Funding was distributed to all participating centres and used to cover treatment, travel and other associated costs for patients. Patient characteristics, tumour characteristics and events were described. RESULTS In total, 201 WT patients were included. Two-year EFS was 49.9 ± 3.8% when abandonment of treatment was considered an event. Relapse of disease occurred in 21% (42 of 201) of all included patients and in 26% (42 of 161) of those who had a nephrectomy. Programme implementation was associated with significantly higher survival without evidence of disease at the end of treatment (52% vs 68.5%, P = .002), significantly reduced abandonment of treatment (23% vs 12%, P = .009) and fewer deaths during treatment (21% vs 13%, P = .06). CONCLUSION This collaborative implementation of an adapted WT treatment guideline, using relatively simple and low-cost interventions, was feasible. Two-year EFS was almost 50%. In addition, a significant decrease in treatment abandonment and an increase in survival at the end of treatment were observed compared to a pre-implementation cohort. Future work should focus on decreasing deaths during treatment and will include enhancing supportive care.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Chagaluka
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Vivian Paintsil
- Directorate of Child Health, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Lorna Renner
- Department of Child Health, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana
| | - Janna Weijers
- Academy Outreach Programme, Princess Máxima Center for Paediatric Oncology, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Inam Chitsike
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Eric Borgstein
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Steve Kamiza
- Department of Histopathology, College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Glenn M Afungchwi
- Department of Paediatric Oncology, Mbingo Baptist Convention Hospital, Mbingo, Cameroon
| | - Francine Kouya
- Department of Paediatric Oncology, Mbingo Baptist Convention Hospital, Mbingo, Cameroon
| | - Peter Hesseling
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Trijn Israels
- Academy Outreach Programme, Princess Máxima Center for Paediatric Oncology, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
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Katumba RGN, Sensoy Bahar O, Johnson KJ, Ssewamala FM. Cancer in Youth Living With HIV (YLWHIV): A Narrative Review of the Access to Oncological Services Among YLWHIV and the Role of Economic Strengthening in Child Health. Front Public Health 2020; 8:409. [PMID: 32923421 PMCID: PMC7457003 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Youth Living with HIV/AIDS (YLWHIV) have a higher risk of developing immunodeficiency related illnesses including certain cancers than their general population counterparts of the same age. This narrative review of current available literature describes factors associated with pediatric access to oncological services, and the role economic strengthening could play in improving health outcomes for this vulnerable population. Findings suggest that both HIV-infected and -uninfected children living in low and middle-income countries struggle with access and adherence to cancer treatment and care. Cost of treatment is a major barrier to access and adherence. Asset-building savings programs may increase financial security and subsequently result in better health outcomes although they have not been utilized to improve access to cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth G N Katumba
- School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Ozge Sensoy Bahar
- Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Kimberly J Johnson
- Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Fred M Ssewamala
- Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
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Atun R, Bhakta N, Denburg A, Frazier AL, Friedrich P, Gupta S, Lam CG, Ward ZJ, Yeh JM, Allemani C, Coleman MP, Di Carlo V, Loucaides E, Fitchett E, Girardi F, Horton SE, Bray F, Steliarova-Foucher E, Sullivan R, Aitken JF, Banavali S, Binagwaho A, Alcasabas P, Antillon F, Arora RS, Barr RD, Bouffet E, Challinor J, Fuentes-Alabi S, Gross T, Hagander L, Hoffman RI, Herrera C, Kutluk T, Marcus KJ, Moreira C, Pritchard-Jones K, Ramirez O, Renner L, Robison LL, Shalkow J, Sung L, Yeoh A, Rodriguez-Galindo C. Sustainable care for children with cancer: a Lancet Oncology Commission. Lancet Oncol 2020; 21:e185-e224. [PMID: 32240612 DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(20)30022-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
We estimate that there will be 13·7 million new cases of childhood cancer globally between 2020 and 2050. At current levels of health system performance (including access and referral), 6·1 million (44·9%) of these children will be undiagnosed. Between 2020 and 2050, 11·1 million children will die from cancer if no additional investments are made to improve access to health-care services or childhood cancer treatment. Of this total, 9·3 million children (84·1%) will be in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. This burden could be vastly reduced with new funding to scale up cost-effective interventions. Simultaneous comprehensive scale-up of interventions could avert 6·2 million deaths in children with cancer in this period, more than half (56·1%) of the total number of deaths otherwise projected. Taking excess mortality risk into consideration, this reduction in the number of deaths is projected to produce a gain of 318 million life-years. In addition, the global lifetime productivity gains of US$2580 billion in 2020-50 would be four times greater than the cumulative treatment costs of $594 billion, producing a net benefit of $1986 billion on the global investment: a net return of $3 for every $1 invested. In sum, the burden of childhood cancer, which has been grossly underestimated in the past, can be effectively diminished to realise massive health and economic benefits and to avert millions of needless deaths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rifat Atun
- Department of Global health and Population, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston MA, USA; Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston MA, USA.
| | - Nickhill Bhakta
- Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA; Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Avram Denburg
- Division of Haematology and Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - A Lindsay Frazier
- Dana-Farber and Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paola Friedrich
- Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA; Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Sumit Gupta
- Division of Haematology and Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Catherine G Lam
- Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA; Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Zachary J Ward
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston MA, USA
| | - Jennifer M Yeh
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston MA, USA; Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Claudia Allemani
- Cancer Survival Group, Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Michel P Coleman
- Cancer Survival Group, Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Veronica Di Carlo
- Cancer Survival Group, Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | | | - Elizabeth Fitchett
- University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Fabio Girardi
- Cancer Survival Group, Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Susan E Horton
- School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Freddie Bray
- Section of Cancer Surveillance, International Agency for Research on Cancer, WHO, Lyon, France
| | - Eva Steliarova-Foucher
- Section of Cancer Surveillance, International Agency for Research on Cancer, WHO, Lyon, France
| | - Richard Sullivan
- Institute of Cancer Policy, Conflict and Health Research Group, School of Cancer Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Joanne F Aitken
- Cancer Council Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Shripad Banavali
- Department of Medical and Pediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Center, Mumbai, India; Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | | | - Patricia Alcasabas
- Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
| | - Federico Antillon
- Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica and the School of Medicine, Universidad Francisco Marroquín, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Ramandeep S Arora
- Department of Medical Oncology, Max Super-Specialty Hospital, New Delhi, India
| | - Ronald D Barr
- Departments of Pediatrics, Pathology and Medicine, Michael G DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Eric Bouffet
- Division of Haematology and Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Julia Challinor
- School of Nursing, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Thomas Gross
- Center for Global Health, US National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lars Hagander
- Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Pediatric Surgery, WHO Collaborating Centre for Surgery and Public Health, Lund University Faculty of Medicine, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ruth I Hoffman
- American Childhood Cancer Organization, Beltsville, MD, USA
| | - Cristian Herrera
- Health Division, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris, France; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Tezer Kutluk
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey; Cancer Institute, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Karen J Marcus
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston MA, USA; Division of Radiation Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Claude Moreira
- Institut Jean Lemerle, African Paediatric Oncology Formation, Dakar, Senegal; Hôpital Aristide Le Dantec, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Kathy Pritchard-Jones
- University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Oscar Ramirez
- Department of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology, Centro Médico Imbanaco de Cali, Cali, Colombia; Cali Cancer Population-based Registry, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
| | - Lorna Renner
- Department of Child Health, University of Ghana Medical School Accra, Ghana; Paediatric Oncology Unit, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana
| | - Leslie L Robison
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jaime Shalkow
- Department of Pediatric Surgical Oncology, National Institute of Pediatrics, Mexico City, Mexico; School of Medicine, Anahuac University, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Lillian Sung
- Division of Haematology and Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Allen Yeoh
- Division of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore National University Health System, Singapore; Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo
- Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA; Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
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Denburg AE, Ramirez A, Pavuluri S, McCann E, Shah S, Alcasabas T, Antillon F, Arora R, Fuentes-Alabi S, Renner L, Lam C, Friedrich P, Maser B, Force L, Galindo CR, Atun R. Political priority and pathways to scale-up of childhood cancer care in five nations. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0221292. [PMID: 31425526 PMCID: PMC6699697 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite increasing global attention to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their incorporation into universal health coverage (UHC), the factors that determine whether and how NCDs are prioritized in national health agendas and integrated into health systems remain poorly understood. Childhood cancer is a leading non-communicable cause of death in children aged 0-14 years worldwide. We investigated the political, social, and economic factors that influence health system priority-setting on childhood cancer care in a range of low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). METHODS AND FINDINGS Based on in-depth qualitative case studies, we analyzed the determinants of priority-setting for childhood cancer care in El Salvador, Guatemala, Ghana, India, and the Philippines using a conceptual framework that considers four principal influences on political prioritization: political contexts, actor power, ideas, and issue characteristics. Data for the analysis derived from in-depth interviews (n = 68) with key informants involved in or impacted by childhood cancer policies and programs in participating countries, supplemented by published academic literature and available policy documents. Political priority for childhood cancer varies widely across the countries studied and is most influenced by political context and actor power dynamics. Ghana has placed relatively little national priority on childhood cancer, largely due to competing priorities and a lack of cohesion among stakeholders. In both El Salvador and Guatemala, actor power has played a central role in generating national priority for childhood cancer, where well-organized and -resourced civil society organizations have disrupted legacies of fragmented governance and financing to create priority for childhood cancer care. In India, the role of a uniquely empowered private actor was instrumental in creating political priority and establishing sustained channels of financing for childhood cancer care. In the Philippines, the childhood cancer community has capitalized on a window of opportunity to expand access and reduce disparities in childhood cancer care through the political prioritization of UHC and NCDs in current health system reforms. CONCLUSIONS The importance of key health system actors in determining the relative political priority for childhood cancer in the countries studied points to actor power as a critical enabler of prioritization in other LMIC. Responsiveness to political contexts-in particular, rhetorical and policy priority placed on NCDs and UHC-will be crucial to efforts to place childhood cancer firmly on national health agendas. National governments must be convinced of the potential for foundational health system strengthening through attention to childhood cancer care, and the presence and capability of networked actors primed to amplify public sector investments and catalyze change on the ground.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avram E. Denburg
- Division of Haematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Adriana Ramirez
- Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Suresh Pavuluri
- Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Erin McCann
- Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Shivani Shah
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Federico Antillon
- School of Medicine, Universidad Franciso Marroquin, Guatemala City, Guatemala
- Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | | | | | | | - Catherine Lam
- Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Paola Friedrich
- Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Brandon Maser
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Lisa Force
- Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Carlos Rodriguez Galindo
- Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Rifat Atun
- Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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12
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Ferman S, Lima FFDS, Lage CRS, da Hora SS, Vianna DT, Thuler LC. Preventing treatment abandonment for children with solid tumors: A single-center experience in Brazil. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2019; 66:e27724. [PMID: 30938082 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.27724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND High rates of treatment abandonment have been considered one of the major limitations to achieving high cure rates of childhood cancer in developing countries. The aims of this study were to report the prevalence and factors associated with treatment abandonment for children diagnosed with solid tumors in one reference center in Brazil and to describe effective strategies to prevent it. PROCEDURES A retrospective review was conducted using data from 1139 children (0-18 years) treated for solid tumors at the Brazilian National Cancer Institute, during the period between January 2012 and December 2017. Treatment abandonment was defined as recommended by the International Society of Pediatric Oncology. The impact of implementing a patient-tracking system was evaluated. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze patient characteristics. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis, with the significance level <0.05. RESULTS Of 1139 patients, 1.66% refused or abandoned treatment. Although from 2012 to 2013 there was an increase in the abandonment rate, it then decreased by 63.8% from 2013 to 2017 (2.5% to 0.9%). In the multivariate model, only retinoblastoma diagnosis was associated with abandonment (odds ratio = 5.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-20.4; P = 0.025). In our cohort, abandonment rates were not associated with increased death. CONCLUSION Monitoring missed appointments, and early interventions to address issues associated with providing resources to help families during treatment were effective in achieving very low abandonment rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sima Ferman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Brazilian National Cancer Institute, INCA, Brazil
| | | | | | - Senir Santos da Hora
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Brazilian National Cancer Institute, INCA, Brazil
| | | | - Luiz Claudio Thuler
- Clinical Research Division, Brazilian National Cancer Institute, INCA, Brazil
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13
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Seah T, Zhang C, Halbert J, Prabha S, Gupta S. The magnitude and predictors of therapy abandonment in pediatric central nervous system tumors in low- and middle-income countries: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2019; 66:e27692. [PMID: 30835958 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.27692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Outcomes of pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors in low- to middle-income countries (LMIC) are poorer than their high-income counterparts. Abandonment of therapy is increasingly recognized as a key contributor to this disparity, but has been poorly quantified. We performed a meta-analysis to determine the magnitude of abandonment in pediatric CNS tumors in LMIC, and risk factors and interventions aimed at reducing this. PATIENTS AND METHODS We searched seven databases for pediatric CNS tumor cohorts followed up from diagnosis and treated in LMIC. All languages were included. Two reviewers independently selected articles and extracted data on abandonment rates (ARs) and predictors. The authors were contacted for additional information. RESULTS Of 50 660 publications, 643 in five languages met criteria for full review; 131 met analysis inclusion criteria. ARs were not reported in the majority, and a small number were available from the authors. Available ARs ranged from 0% to 59%, from 38 studies (2497 children in 14 countries), and these were quantitatively analyzed. Lower-middle-income countries had higher ARs than upper-middle-income countries (27%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 20%-36% vs 9%, 95% CI 6%-14%, P < 0.0001), with significant heterogeneity within each (LMIC I2 = 78%, P < 0.00001, UMIC I2 = 85%, P < 0.00001). Common predictors for abandonment included distance to treatment centers, financial hardship, and prognostic misconceptions. CONCLUSION In LMICs, ARs are highest in lower-MICs. However, the paucity of published data limits further evaluation. Given the increasing burden of pediatric CNS tumors in LMIC, addressing deficits in abandonment reporting is critical. Consistent reporting is needed for developing interventions to improve outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chuer Zhang
- Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Jay Halbert
- Royal London Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Shashi Prabha
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Sumit Gupta
- Division of Haematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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14
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Jatia S, Prasad M, Paradkar A, Bhatia A, Narula G, Chinnaswamy G, Vora T, Gomle S, Sankaran H, Banavali S. Holistic support coupled with prospective tracking reduces abandonment in childhood cancers: A report from India. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2019; 66:e27716. [PMID: 30900819 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.27716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Revised: 03/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND High cure rates of over 80% in childhood cancers reported from high-income countries (HICs) are not replicated in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Treatment abandonment (TxA) is an important reason for this poorer outcome. We assessed the effect of a holistic support group approach coupled with prospective tracking on TxA in children with cancer in a limited-resources environment. METHODS In 2010, all existing nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working with childhood cancer at our hospital were brought together to form a pediatric cancer foundation with the aim of providing holistic support to the patient and family, including financial, psychosocial, lodging, educational, and bereavement support. Simultaneously, prospective tracking of all children with a Time-Responsive Electronic Abandonment Tracking (TREAT) system was also established. The impact of these measures on TxA over the 2009-2016 period was compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS The annual rate of abandonment reduced from 20% in 2009 to 10.4% in 2010 and 5.2% in 2011. It has been consistently between 3% and 6% from 2012 to 2016 (P -0.04). TxA after the initiation of treatment dropped from 9% in 2009 to 1% in 2016 (P -0.02), while refusal to initiate treatment dropped from 11% to 2.7% (P -0.23) over the same period. CONCLUSIONS A holistic support group consisting of the hospital team, as well as existing NGOs and governmental organizations, along with a systematic and prospective tracking system significantly reduced abandonment in a resource-constrained setting. This cost-effective holistic support group may be applicable in other LMICs with similar healthcare systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shalini Jatia
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Maya Prasad
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Amey Paradkar
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Ameeta Bhatia
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Gaurav Narula
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Girish Chinnaswamy
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Tushar Vora
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Sanjay Gomle
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Hari Sankaran
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Shripad Banavali
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India
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Lam CG, Howard SC, Bouffet E, Pritchard-Jones K. Science and health for all children with cancer. Science 2019; 363:1182-1186. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw4892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Each year ~429,000 children and adolescents aged 0 to 19 years are expected to develop cancer. Five-year survival rates exceed 80% for the 45,000 children with cancer in high-income countries (HICs) but are less than 30% for the 384,000 children in lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). Improved survival rates in HICs have been achieved through multidisciplinary care and research, with treatment regimens using mostly generic medicines and optimized risk stratification. Children’s outcomes in LMICs can be improved through global collaborative partnerships that help local leaders adapt effective treatments to local resources and clinical needs, as well as address common problems such as delayed diagnosis and treatment abandonment. Together, these approaches may bring within reach the global survival target recently set by the World Health Organization: 60% survival for all children with cancer by 2030.
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16
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Chantada G, Lam CG, Howard SC. Optimizing outcomes for children with non‐Hodgkin lymphoma in low‐ and middle‐income countries by early correct diagnosis, reducing toxic death and preventing abandonment. Br J Haematol 2019; 185:1125-1135. [DOI: 10.1111/bjh.15785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Catherine G. Lam
- Department of Global Pediatric Medicine St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Memphis TNUSA
| | - Scott C. Howard
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis TN USA
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Howard SC, Lam CG, Arora RS. Cancer epidemiology and the “incidence gap” from non-diagnosis. PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY ONCOLOGY JOURNAL 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.phoj.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
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18
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Rodriguez-Romo L, Olaya Vargas A, Gupta S, Shalkow-Klincovstein J, Vega-Vega L, Reyes-Lopez A, Cicero-Oneto C, Mejia-Arangure J, Gonzalez-Ramella O, Pineiro-Retif R, Lopez-Facundo A, de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez M, Tejocote I, Brennan K, Booth CM. Delivery of Pediatric Cancer Care in Mexico: A National Survey. J Glob Oncol 2018; 4:1-12. [PMID: 30084750 PMCID: PMC6223522 DOI: 10.1200/jgo.17.00238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Limited data describe the delivery of pediatric cancer care in Mexico. We report a nationwide survey of pediatric cancer units. Methods An electronic survey was distributed to 74 pediatric cancer units in Mexico to describe case volumes; organization of care; and availability of medical/surgical specialists, supportive care, complex therapies, and diagnostic services. Centers were classified as low (< 30 new patients/year), medium (30 to 59/year) and high (≥ 60/year). Results Sixty-two centers completed the survey (response rate, 84%). The median annual new case volume per center was 50 (interquartile range [IQR], 23 to 81). Thirty-four percent (n = 21), 26% (n = 16), and 40% (n = 25) of units were low-, medium-, and high-volume centers, respectively. Treatment units reported a median of two pediatric oncologists (IQR, 2) and one pediatric hematologist (IQR, 1 to 2). Availability of medical and surgical subspecialists varied by center size, with substantially more specialist support at higher-volume centers ( P < .01). Multidisciplinary tumor boards are available at 29% (six of 21), 56% (nine of 16), and 76% (19 of 25) of low- to high-volume centers, respectively ( P = .005). Radiation and palliative care services are available at 42% (n = 26) and 63% (n = 36) of all centers, which did not vary by center volume. Educational support for hospitalized children and school reintegration programs are available at 56% (n = 36) and 58% (n = 36) of centers, respectively. One third (38% [n = 23]) of centers reported that at least one half of patients were lost to follow-up during the transition from pediatric to adult programs. Conclusion A large variation exists in annual case volumes across Mexican pediatric cancer centers. Additional efforts to increase access to multidisciplinary, supportive, and palliative care across all pediatric cancer units in Mexico are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Alberto Olaya Vargas
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Sumit Gupta
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Lourdes Vega-Vega
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Alfonso Reyes-Lopez
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Carlo Cicero-Oneto
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Juan Mejia-Arangure
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Rafael Pineiro-Retif
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Aracely Lopez-Facundo
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Isidoro Tejocote
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Kelly Brennan
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Christopher M. Booth
- Laura Rodriguez-Romo, Queen’s University; Kelly Brennan and Christopher M. Booth, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, Kingston; Sumit Gupta, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Laura Rodriguez and Rafael Pineiro-Retif, Hospital Universitario de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León; Alberto Olaya Vargas and Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria; Alfonso Reyes-Lopez and Carlo Cicero-Oneto, Hospital Infantil de México; Juan Mejia-Arangure, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI; Maria de los Angeles Del Campo-Martinez, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City; Lourdes Vega-Vega, Hospital Infantil Teletón de Oncología, Querétaro; Oscar Gonzalez-Ramella, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Aracely Lopez-Facundo, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México; and Isidoro Tejocote, Hospital para el Nino del Instituto Materno Infantil, México, México, Toluca, Mexico
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Vasquez L, Diaz R, Chavez S, Tarrillo F, Maza I, Hernandez E, Oscanoa M, García J, Geronimo J, Rossell N. Factors associated with abandonment of therapy by children diagnosed with solid tumors in Peru. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2018; 65:e27007. [PMID: 29431252 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.27007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Abandonment of treatment is a major cause of treatment failure and poor survival in children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries. The incidence of treatment abandonment in Peru has not been reported. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of and factors associated with treatment abandonment by pediatric patients with solid tumors in Peru. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the sociodemographic and clinical data of children referred between January 2012 and December 2014 to the two main tertiary centers for childhood cancer in Peru. The definition of treatment abandonment followed the International Society of Paediatric Oncology, Paediatric Oncology in Developing Countries, Abandonment of Treatment recommendation. RESULTS Data from 1135 children diagnosed with malignant solid tumors were analyzed, of which 209 (18.4%) abandoned treatment. Bivariate logistic regression analysis showed significantly higher abandonment rates in children living outside the capital city, Lima (forest; odds ratio [OR] 3.25; P < 0.001), those living in a rural setting (OR 3.44; P < 0.001), and those whose parent(s) lacked formal employment (OR 4.39; P = 0.001). According to cancer diagnosis, children with retinoblastoma were more likely to abandon treatment compared to children with other solid tumors (OR 1.79; P = 0.02). In multivariate regression analyses, rural origin (OR 2.02; P = 0.001) and lack of formal parental employment (OR 2.88; P = 0.001) were independently predictive of abandonment. CONCLUSION Treatment abandonment prevalence of solid tumors in Peru is high and closely related to sociodemographical factors. Treatment outcomes could be substantially improved by strategies that help prevent abandonment of therapy based on these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Vasquez
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Edgardo Rebagliati Martins Hospital, Lima, Peru
| | - Rosdali Diaz
- Pediatric Oncology, National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases, Lima, Peru
| | - Sharon Chavez
- Pediatric Oncology, National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases, Lima, Peru
| | - Fanny Tarrillo
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Edgardo Rebagliati Martins Hospital, Lima, Peru
| | - Ivan Maza
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Edgardo Rebagliati Martins Hospital, Lima, Peru
| | - Eddy Hernandez
- Pediatric Oncology, National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases, Lima, Peru
| | - Monica Oscanoa
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Edgardo Rebagliati Martins Hospital, Lima, Peru
| | - Juan García
- Pediatric Oncology, National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases, Lima, Peru
| | - Jenny Geronimo
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Edgardo Rebagliati Martins Hospital, Lima, Peru
| | - Nuria Rossell
- Amsterdam Institute for Social Sciences Research, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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20
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Rossell N, Salaverria C, Hernandez A, Alabi S, Vasquez R, Bonilla M, Lam CG, Ribeiro R, Reis R. Community resources support adherence to treatment for childhood cancer in El Salvador. J Psychosoc Oncol 2018; 36:319-332. [PMID: 29452054 DOI: 10.1080/07347332.2018.1427174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In order to reduce nonadherence and treatment abandonment of children with cancer in El Salvador, institutions located nearby the patients' homes were involved to provide support. Methodological approach: Health clinics and municipality offices in the patients' communities were asked to assist families who were not promptly located after missing hospital appointments, or those whose financial limitations were likely to impede continuation of treatment. Data was collected about the number of contacted institutions, the nature of help provided, staff's time investments, and parents' perceptions about the intervention. FINDINGS Local institutions (133 from 206 contacts) conducted home visits (83), and/or provided parents with money (55) or transportation (60). Parents found this support essential for continuing the treatment but they also encountered challenges regarding local institutions' inconsistencies. Nonadherence and abandonment decreased. IMPLICATIONS Economic burden was reduced on both the families and the hospital. Involvement of external institutions might become regular practice to support families of children with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Rossell
- a Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), Amsterdam University , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.,b Department of Oncology , Benjamin Bloom Hospital , San Salvador , El Salvador
| | - Carmen Salaverria
- b Department of Oncology , Benjamin Bloom Hospital , San Salvador , El Salvador
| | - Angelica Hernandez
- b Department of Oncology , Benjamin Bloom Hospital , San Salvador , El Salvador
| | - Soad Alabi
- b Department of Oncology , Benjamin Bloom Hospital , San Salvador , El Salvador
| | - Roberto Vasquez
- b Department of Oncology , Benjamin Bloom Hospital , San Salvador , El Salvador
| | - Miguel Bonilla
- c International Outreach Program, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital , Memphis , Tennessee , USA
| | - Catherine G Lam
- c International Outreach Program, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital , Memphis , Tennessee , USA.,d Department of Oncology , St. Jude Children's Research Hospital , Memphis , Tennessee , USA.,e College of Medicine, University of Tennessee , Memphis , Tennessee , USA
| | - Raul Ribeiro
- d Department of Oncology , St. Jude Children's Research Hospital , Memphis , Tennessee , USA.,e College of Medicine, University of Tennessee , Memphis , Tennessee , USA
| | - Ria Reis
- a Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), Amsterdam University , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.,f Leiden University Medical Center , Leiden , The Netherlands.,g School of Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, The Children's Institute , Cape Town , South Africa
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21
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Siddiqui DEF, Ashraf MS, Iftikhar S, Belgaumi AF. Predictors of treatment abandonment for patients with pediatric cancer at Indus Children Cancer Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2018; 65. [PMID: 28960700 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.26818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Revised: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Abandonment of treatment is one of the toughest challenges to deal with in pediatric oncology. It leads to unnecessary mortality and morbidity in patients from low- and middle-income countries. PROCEDURE The objective of our retrospective study was to determine the prevalence and predictors for abandonment among children with cancer at our hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. We analyzed data on patients younger than 18 years, diagnosed with any malignancy between November 2014 and May 2016. RESULTS From a total of 821 patients, one hundred and eighty-two (22.2%) patients abandoned treatment at various stages, 92 (11.2%) patients did not initiate treatment at all, and the remaining 90 (11.0%) left during treatment. The gender ratio at registration was skewed toward males but not statistically significant for abandonment. Of 295 registered females, 74 (25.1%) abandoned treatment compared to 108 (20.5%) abandonments among 526 males. In multivariable regression analysis, the type of malignancy, guardian's profession, and travelling from outside the city of Karachi (odds ratio [OR]: 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-2.15; P = 0.039) correlated with increased abandonment. Treatment abandonment was higher among patients with brain tumors (45.7%) and solid tumors (30.8%) and among those whose guardians were associated with a rural profession (24.7%). Monthly income, age, and number of siblings had no impact on the decision to abandon treatment. CONCLUSION Despite the provision of free treatment, the prevalence of abandonment was high. More qualitative data need to be collected to identify and target groups of individuals who may be likely to abandon treatment, thus improving outcome of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Durr-E-Fatima Siddiqui
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Indus Children Cancer Hospital, The Indus Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Shamvil Ashraf
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Indus Children Cancer Hospital, The Indus Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Sundus Iftikhar
- Statistics & Training Unit, Indus Hospital Research Centre, The Indus Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Asim F Belgaumi
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatric Medicine, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Doha, Qatar.,Weill-Cornell Medical College-Qatar, Doha, Qatar
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22
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Alvarez E, Seppa M, Rivas S, Fuentes L, Valverde P, Antillón-Klussmann F, Castellanos M, Sweet-Cordero EA, Messacar K, Kurap J, Bustamante M, Howard SC, Efron B, Luna-Fineman S. Improvement in treatment abandonment in pediatric patients with cancer in Guatemala. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2017; 64. [PMID: 28423236 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.26560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Revised: 02/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Treatment refusal and abandonment are major causes of treatment failure for children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), like Guatemala. This study identified risk factors for and described the intervention that decreased abandonment. METHODS This was a retrospective study of Guatemalan children (0-18 years) with cancer treated at the Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica (UNOP), 2001-2008, using the Pediatric Oncology Network Database. Treatment refusal was a failure to begin treatment and treatment abandonment was a lapse of 4 weeks or longer in treatment. The impact of medicina integral, a multidisciplinary psychosocial intervention team at UNOP was evaluated. Cox proportional hazards analysis identified the effect of demographic and clinical factors on abandonment. Kaplan-Meier analysis estimated the survival. RESULTS Of 1,789 patients, 21% refused or abandoned treatment. Abandonment decreased from 27% in 2001 to 7% in 2008 following the implementation of medicina integral. Factors associated with increased risk of refusal and abandonment: greater distance to the centre (P < 0.001), younger age (P = 0.017) and earlier year of diagnosis (P < 0.001). Indigenous race/ethnicity (P = 0.002) was associated with increased risk of abandonment alone. Abandonment correlated with decreased overall survival: 0.57 ± 0.02 (survival ± standard error) for those who completed therapy versus 0.06 ± 0.02 for those who abandoned treatment (P < 0.001) at 8.3 years. CONCLUSION This study identified distance, age, year of diagnosis and indigenous race/ethnicity as risk factors for abandonment. A multidisciplinary intervention reduced abandonment and can be replicated in other LMICs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elysia Alvarez
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | - Midori Seppa
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | - Silvia Rivas
- Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Lucia Fuentes
- Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | | | | | | | - E Alejandro Sweet-Cordero
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California
| | - Kevin Messacar
- Section of Hospital Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado/Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - John Kurap
- Hilo Bay Clinic, Community Health Center, Hilo, Hawaii
| | | | - Scott C Howard
- School of Health Studies, University of Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Bradley Efron
- Department of Statistics and Biostatistics, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
| | - Sandra Luna-Fineman
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.,Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica, Guatemala City, Guatemala
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23
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Fuentes-Alabi S, Bhakta N, Vasquez RF, Gupta S, Horton SE. The cost and cost-effectiveness of childhood cancer treatment in El Salvador, Central America: A report from the Childhood Cancer 2030 Network. Cancer 2017; 124:391-397. [PMID: 28915337 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.31022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although previous studies have examined the cost of treating individual childhood cancers in low-income and middle-income countries, to the authors' knowledge none has examined the overall cost and cost-effectiveness of operating a childhood cancer treatment center. Herein, the authors examined the cost and sources of financing of a pediatric cancer unit in Hospital Nacional de Ninos Benjamin Bloom in El Salvador, and make estimates of cost-effectiveness. METHODS Administrative data regarding costs and volumes of inputs were obtained for 2016 for the pediatric cancer unit. Similar cost and volume data were obtained for shared medical services provided centrally (eg, blood bank). Costs of central nonmedical support services (eg, utilities) were obtained from hospital data and attributed by inpatient share. Administrative data also were used for sources of financing. Cost-effectiveness was estimated based on the number of new patients diagnosed annually and survival rates. RESULTS The pediatric cancer unit cost $5.2 million to operate in 2016 (treating 90 outpatients per day and experiencing 1385 inpatient stays per year). Approximately three-quarters of the cost (74.7%) was attributed to 4 items: personnel (21.6%), pathological diagnosis (11.5%), pharmacy (chemotherapy, supportive care medications, and nutrition; 31.8%), and blood products (9.8%). Funding sources included government (52.5%), charitable foundations (44.2%), and a social security contribution scheme (3.4%). Based on 181 new patients per year and a 5-year survival rate of 48.5%, the cost per disability-adjusted life-year averted was $1624, which is under the threshold considered to be very cost effective. CONCLUSIONS Treating childhood cancer in a specialized unit in low-income and middle-income countries can be done cost-effectively. Strong support from charitable foundations aids with affordability. Cancer 2018;124:391-7. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soad Fuentes-Alabi
- Department of Oncology, Benjamin Bloom Hospital, San Salvador, El Salvador
| | - Nickhill Bhakta
- Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | | | - Sumit Gupta
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Susan E Horton
- Global Health Economics, School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
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24
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Rivera-Luna R, Zapata-Tarres M, Shalkow-Klincovstein J, Velasco-Hidalgo L, Olaya-Vargas A, Finkelstein-Mizrahi N, Cárdenas-Cardós R, Aguilar-Ortiz MR. The burden of childhood cancer in Mexico: Implications for low- and middle-income countries. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2017; 64. [PMID: 27905680 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.26366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Revised: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
In Mexico, childhood cancer incidence and mortality have increased in the last decade. Through government actions since 2005, the Popular Medical Insurance (PMI) program for childhood cancer was created. The objective of PMI was to offer early cancer diagnosis, standardized treatment regimens, and numerous pediatric oncology residency programs. It has also accredited 55 national hospitals for the care of these children. Current problems still present under the PMI include shortage of pediatric oncologists and nurses and high rate of abandonment of treatment. Our aim is to describe the current scenario of childhood cancer care in Mexico, especially from the perspective of the PMI and how it has impacted human resources, infrastructure, and medical education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Rivera-Luna
- Division of Pediatric Hem/Oncology, National Institute of Pediatrics (NIP), Mexico City, Mexico.,Program of the National Council for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Cancer, CENSIA, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Marta Zapata-Tarres
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, National Institute of Pediatrics (NIP), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jaime Shalkow-Klincovstein
- Program of the National Council for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Cancer, CENSIA, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Liliana Velasco-Hidalgo
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, National Institute of Pediatrics (NIP), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Alberto Olaya-Vargas
- Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, National Institute of Pediatrics (NIP), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Nicole Finkelstein-Mizrahi
- General Direction of Development of Health Services, Office of the Fund for Protection Against Catastrophic Expenses for Childhood Cancer from the Popular Medical Insurance, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Rocío Cárdenas-Cardós
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, National Institute of Pediatrics (NIP), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Marco R Aguilar-Ortiz
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, National Institute of Pediatrics (NIP), Mexico City, Mexico
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25
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Rossell N, Challinor J, Gigengack R, Reis R. Choosing a miracle: Impoverishment, mistrust, and discordant views in abandonment of treatment of children with cancer in El Salvador. Psychooncology 2016; 26:1324-1329. [PMID: 27862585 DOI: 10.1002/pon.4302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Revised: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In El Salvador, at the only hospital offering pediatric oncology care, the number of children abandoning treatment for cancer has decreased in recent years (13%-3%). An investigation of caregivers' motives for abandonment was performed over 15 months from 2012 to 2014. Caregiver and health team perspectives on abandonment are reported using the explanatory model (EM) framework. METHOD Semistructured in-depth interviews and in hospital participant observations were conducted with caregivers of children diagnosed with cancer, who abandoned their child's treatment or were considering abandoning, and with members of the medical team. RESULTS Of the 41 caregivers interviewed, 26 caregivers (of 19 children) abandoned their child's treatment, returned from a series of missed appointments, or showed a risk of abandoning. Caregivers of 8 children stated that a miraculous cure was the main reason for abandoning; increasing impoverishment and misgivings toward treatment and outcomes were also mentioned. The responses of the medical team demonstrated a discordant EM for the child's cancer and treatment effects and that only biomedical treatment was effective for cure. CONCLUSIONS The caregivers' increasing impoverishment (not only financial) and misgivings about the child's treatment caused them to reconsider their therapeutic choices and rely on their belief in a miraculous cure, thus abandoning. The caregivers and medical team's discordant EM about the child's cancer and treatment must be acknowledged and shared decision making considered, together with consistency in the strategies that currently demonstrate to be effective decreasing abandonment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Rossell
- Amsterdam Institute for Social Sciences Research (AISSR), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Julia Challinor
- Department of Physiological Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Roy Gigengack
- Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ria Reis
- Amsterdam Institute for Social Sciences Research (AISSR), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,School of Child and Adolescent Health, The Children's Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa
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26
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Zuzak TJ, Kameda G, Schütze T, Kaatsch P, Seifert G, Bailey R, Längler A. Contributing factors and outcomes of treatment refusal in pediatric oncology in Germany. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2016; 63:1800-5. [PMID: 27348500 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.26111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Revised: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Germany, about 1,800 new cases of pediatric cancer under 15 years of age are diagnosed each year and survival rates approach 80%. Although treatment is covered by health insurance and is thus available for all patients at no cost, treatment refusal and treatment discontinuation have been observed. However, no data providing numbers and outcomes for developed countries have been published thus far. PROCEDURE A questionnaire-based survey was performed among German pediatric oncology centers to ascertain the number of treatment refusals among pediatric patients who were diagnosed between January 2008 and December 2009 in Germany. RESULTS Questionnaires from 70 of 73 centers were available, and of these 13 centers reported a total of 15 cases of treatment refusal or discontinuation within this 2-year period. Five of the 15 patients died, 7 of 15 were still alive, and the current status of 3 of 15 patients was unknown. Diseases were heterogeneous. Six of the 15 parents refused treatment for their children initially, 8 of 15 discontinued during the course of treatment. Five patients were treated after parental custody had been withdrawn due to the lack of compliance. All these five patients survived. Parents' reasons given for refusal or discontinuation of treatment were related to personal health beliefs and coping strategies. CONCLUSIONS Although treatment refusal or discontinuation is rare, it is accompanied by a high mortality rate. Parents' personal health beliefs play a primary role in treatment refusal or discontinuation in Germany. This emphasizes the importance of sustaining a functioning and mutually communicative physician-parent-patient relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tycho Jan Zuzak
- Department of Integrative Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Herdecke, Germany.,Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University Children's Hospital Essen, Germany
| | - Genn Kameda
- Department of Integrative Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Herdecke, Germany
| | - Tim Schütze
- Faculty of Health, Professorship for Integrative Pediatrics Centre for Integrative Medicine, University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany
| | - Peter Kaatsch
- German Childhood Cancer Registry (GCCR), Institute for Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Georg Seifert
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Rebekka Bailey
- Department of Integrative Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Herdecke, Germany.,Faculty of Health, Professorship for Integrative Pediatrics Centre for Integrative Medicine, University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany
| | - Alfred Längler
- Department of Integrative Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Herdecke, Germany.,Faculty of Health, Professorship for Integrative Pediatrics Centre for Integrative Medicine, University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany
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Goh XTW, Tan YB, Thirumoorthy T, Kwan YH. A systematic review of factors that influence treatment adherence in paediatric oncology patients. J Clin Pharm Ther 2016; 42:1-7. [PMID: 28045208 DOI: 10.1111/jcpt.12441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE Treatment adherence is an essential component in ensuring best outcomes in the management of paediatric cancers. Compared to the adult population, treatment adherence in the paediatric population is a more complex subject which involves unique dimensions. In this study, we aimed to systematically review the literature to identify factors associated with treatment adherence in the paediatric oncology population. METHODS A literature search was carried out using related keywords on electronic databases. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A total of 1036 articles were reviewed, and 39 articles were found to be relevant. A comprehensive review of these articles identified 17 factors that influence adherence. These factors were classified into five major categories: patient-/caregiver-related factors; therapy-related factors; condition-related factors; health system-related factors; and social/economic factors. A baby bear model was proposed to better visualize these five categories that affect treatment adherence, and a framework of questions was designed to help clinicians identify those at risk of non-adherence for early intervention. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION Seventeen factors reviewed were categorized into five main categories, namely patient-/caregiver-related factors, therapy-related factors, condition-related factors, health system factors and social/economic factors, as causes for poor medication adherence in the paediatric oncology population. Clinicians need to be aware that these factors can interact to influence treatment adherence and that some factors may be more relevant in specific contexts (e.g. third world countries, minority groups). The baby bear model is presented to help understand the issues affecting adherence in the paediatric oncology population, and a framework of questions is proposed to help clinicians identify patients at risk of non-adherence.
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Affiliation(s)
- X T W Goh
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Y B Tan
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - T Thirumoorthy
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,Centre for Medical Ethics and Professionalism at Singapore Medical Association, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Y H Kwan
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
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Ospina-Romero M, Portilla CA, Bravo LE, Ramirez O. Caregivers' Self-Reported Absence of Social Support Networks is Related to Treatment Abandonment in Children With Cancer. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2016; 63:825-31. [PMID: 26871640 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.25919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Revised: 11/21/2015] [Accepted: 12/16/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Treatment abandonment (TxA) is a primary cause of therapy failure in children with cancer in low-/middle-income countries. We explored the absence of social support network (SSN), among other predictive factors, and TxA in children with cancer in Cali, Colombia. PROCEDURE In this prospective cohort study, we included children diagnosed with cancer at a public university hospital. A social worker and a psychologist administered semistructured questionnaires to patients' caregivers. We extracted information from the questionnaires about social, economic, and psychological conditions of the patients' families. Outcomes were death, relapse, and TxA. Failure either to start or to continue the planned course of curative treatment for 4 weeks or more was defined as TxA. We identified events with Cali's childhood cancer outcomes surveillance system (VIGICANCER). We adjusted the hazard ratios (HRs) for potential confounders using multivariate Cox regression analyses. RESULTS Among 188 patients diagnosed from January 2011 to June 2013, 99 interviews were conducted. Median age was 5 years old (range: 0.3, 14.9), 53% were male, 17% were of Colombian-Indian ethnicity, and 68% lived in rural areas. The 2-year cumulative incidence of TxA was 21% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 13, 35) and the annual proportion was 14%. The adjusted HR for the absence of SSN was 4.9 (95% CI: 1.6, 15.3). CONCLUSIONS We found a strong association between the absence of SSN and TxA that was independent of other covariates, including surrogate measures of wealth. Our findings highlight the imperative understanding of social ties and support surrounding children's families for planning strategies to prevent TxA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carlos Andrés Portilla
- School of Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.,Valley Public University Hospital, Cali, Colombia.,POHEMA Foundation, Cali, Colombia
| | - Luis Eduardo Bravo
- School of Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.,Population Based Cali Cancer Registry, Colombia
| | - Oscar Ramirez
- POHEMA Foundation, Cali, Colombia.,Imbanaco Medical Center, Cali, Colombia.,Population Based Cali Cancer Registry, Colombia
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