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Mutua D, Omotola A, Bonilla M, Bhakta N, Friedrich P, Wata D, Muma SN, Ganey M, Muriithi C, Mwangi M, Maina AK, Libes J. Implementation of a formalized evaluation and planning tool to improve pediatric oncology outcomes in Kenya. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2023; 70:e30657. [PMID: 37690982 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Survival from pediatric cancers in low middle-income countries is often very low compared to that of high-income countries due to multifactorial etiologies, including late presentation, delayed diagnosis, difficulty with accessing healthcare, drug unavailability, and treatment abandonment. The St. Jude Pediatric Oncology Facility Integrated Local Evaluation Tool (PrOFILE) was developed to map and evaluate childhood cancer healthcare delivery in individual institutions and entire countries, identifying the strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities for advancement of care. PROCEDURE Using the PrOFILE self-assessment tool, selected Kenyan pediatric oncology facilities entered data into 12 modules: national context, facility and local context, finances and resources, personnel, service capacity, service integration, diagnostics, chemotherapy, supportive care, surgery, radiation therapy, and patients and outcomes. These modules are grouped into five specific components, including Context, Workforce, Diagnostics, Therapy, and Patients and Outcomes. The St. Jude PrOFILE team analyzed the data and organized the first hybrid workshop, containing both in-person and virtual components. RESULTS Multidisciplinary stakeholders prioritized recommendations for improving care and developed smart objectives to accomplish identified goals over the following 2 years. Strengths and weaknesses of conducting a hybrid global workshop were identified. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated successful use of the PrOFILE tool to conduct a hybrid workshop and identify strategies to improve pediatric oncology care in Kenya. The voluntarily structured work groups will methodically aim to achieve outcome-oriented goals moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ayomide Omotola
- Global Pediatric Medicine Department, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Miguel Bonilla
- Global Pediatric Medicine Department, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Nickhill Bhakta
- Global Pediatric Medicine Department, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Paola Friedrich
- Global Pediatric Medicine Department, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - David Wata
- Division of Pharmacy, Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Michael Ganey
- Tenwek Hospital, Bomet, Kenya
- Department of Surgery, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, California, USA
| | | | - Martin Mwangi
- National Cancer Institute of Kenya, Ministry of Health, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Jaime Libes
- Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando, Florida, USA
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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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Childhood Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) - A ten year study from Pakistan. PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY ONCOLOGY JOURNAL 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.phoj.2022.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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Oigman G, Osorio DS, Ferman S, Stanek JR, Aversa do Souto A, Christiani MMC, Magalhaes DMA, Finlay JL, Vianna DA. Epidemiological characteristics and survival outcomes of children with medulloblastoma treated at the National Cancer Institute (INCA) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2022; 69:e29274. [PMID: 34767315 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.29274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medulloblastoma (MB),the most common malignant brain tumor of childhood has survival outcomes exceeding 80% for standard-risk and 60% for high-risk patients in high-income countries (HICs). These results have not been replicated in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 80% of children with cancer live. METHODS This is a retrospective review of 114 children aged 3-18 years diagnosed with MB from 1997 to 2016 at National Cancer Institute (INCA). Sociodemographic, clinical, and treatment data were extracted from the medical records and summarized descriptively. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS The male-to-female ratio was 1.32 and the median age at diagnosis was 8.2 years. Headache (83%) and nausea/vomiting (78%) were the most common presenting symptoms. Five-year OS was 59.1% and PFS was 58.4%. The OS for standard-risk and high-risk patients was 69% and 53%, respectively. The median time to diagnosis interval was 50.5 days and the median time from surgery to radiation therapy initiation was 50.4 days. Patients who lived >40 km from INCA fared better (OS = 68.2% vs. 51.1%, p = .032). Almost 20% of families lived below the Brazilian minimum wage. Forty-five patients (35%) had metastatic disease at admission. Gross total resection was achieved in 57% of the patitents. CONCLUSIONS Although there are considerable barriers to deliver effective MB treatment in countries like Brazil, the OS seen in the present study demonstrates that good outcomes are not only feasible but can and should be increased with appropriate interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Oigman
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Diana S Osorio
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Sima Ferman
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Joseph R Stanek
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Marcio M C Christiani
- Division of Neurosurgery, National Cancer Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Denise M A Magalhaes
- Division of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jonathan L Finlay
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Denizar A Vianna
- Internal Medicine Department, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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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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Mattosinho C, Moura AT, Grigorovski N, Araújo LH, Ferman S, Ribeiro K. Socioeconomic status and retinoblastoma survival: Experience of a tertiary cancer center in Brazil. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2021; 68:e28757. [PMID: 33089657 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.28757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about socioeconomic status (SES) and its effects in childhood cancer survival. This study aims to discuss the association between SES and survival of patients with retinoblastoma (RB) from a tertiary treatment center. PROCEDURE A retrospective cohort study was conducted, including all patients with RB referred to the Brazilian National Institute of Cancer in Rio de Janeiro (January 2000-December 2016). RESULTS Data from 160 patients were analyzed with mean age at diagnosis of 22.85 months (SD ± 14.29). Eighty-three patients (51.9%) had an interval to diagnosis equal to or longer than six months, and 13 children (8.1%) abandoned treatment. Five-year overall survival rate for all patients was 78.8% (95% CI, 72.4%-85.9%). In a multivariate model, patients whose fathers had more than nine years of study had a lower death risk. Patients from families having more than one child under five years had a 213% higher risk of death compared with those living with no other small child. Treatment abandonment also had a profound effect on death risk. CONCLUSION Childhood cancer is notably important considering the potential years of life lost. RB has even more important elements, as the possibility of vision loss in cases with delayed diagnosis. Family characteristics seem to be highly related to RB survival, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where inequalities are still a public health issue. Strategies to improve survival should focus not only on large-scale settings such as improving national healthcare systems but also on more personalized actions that might help to mitigate disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa Mattosinho
- Department of Ocular Oncology, Division of Surgery, National Institute of Cancer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Anna Tereza Moura
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculdade de Medicina, Pós Graduação em Ciências Médicas da Universidade do Estado do, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Nathalia Grigorovski
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Clinical Division, National Institute of Cancer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luiz Henrique Araújo
- Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Cancer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Sima Ferman
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Clinical Division, National Institute of Cancer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Karina Ribeiro
- Department of Collective Health (Associate Professor), Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa, São Paulo, Brazil
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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: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [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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