The Dorcas Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in 2015, has unveiled the Pediatric Radiation Oncology virtual course, known as PedROC in an effort to improve childhood cancer care in Africa.
The initiative is aimed at bridging the huge gap in access to specialised training for pediatric cancer treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. The PedROC Africa programme has been designed to develop healthcare professionals’ capacity by increasing proficiency and expertise in pediatric radiation oncology.
Korede Akindele, head of Programs at The Dorcas Cancer Foundation (TDCF), programme is also targeted at the ‘prompt and proper treatment tenet of the foundation.
He said the foundation is working to ensure that childhood cancer outcomes in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa are improved by providing much-needed access to training to empower radiation oncology professionals in the region.
“We have eliminated the cost and time inconvenience of travel, bypassed the problem of limited training spots available to African professionals, and reduced the risk and dangers of travel exposure while maintaining the quality of content; by connecting experienced experts who are far away with professionals on the continent who are eager to continue improving their practice and expertise”, he said.
He explained that 80 percent of the world’s children reside in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), many of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, only 20 percent of experts and resources for Pediatric cancer reside in these regions.
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In sub-Saharan Africa, childhood cancer diagnosis and incidence are on the rise with a significant disparity in survival rates. LMIC countries record a dismal 30 percent survival rate for pediatric cancers, a huge contrast to the 80-90 percent survival rates recorded in high-income countries (HICs).
Radiotherapy is a crucial element of multimodal cancer treatment for pediatric cancer patients, and with an expected rise in pediatric cancer cases, the demand for radiotherapy in LMICs like Nigeria is projected to increase.
The region faces a critical shortage of trained radiation oncology professionals, a shortage that seems to be worsening with the exodus of healthcare professionals. Compounding this shortage is the severely limited availability of training programs and education resources in pediatric radiation oncology for all cadres of healthcare professionals treating children with cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.
The scarcity of skilled healthcare professionals including radiation oncologists, medical physicists, therapy radiographers, pediatric anesthesiologists, pediatric oncology nurses, and even child life specialists and play therapists hinders access to prompt and effective treatment for children with cancer, resulting in persistent sub-optimal treatment, and poor survival rates.
Azeezat Ajose, who has volunteered in the role of research coordinator with The Dorcas Cancer Foundation since 2019 is a foundational member of the PedROC Africa Team and has been instrumental in the planning and execution of this project.
She explained how Wilms’ tumour treatment has seen significant advances in survival rates as high as 90 percent in high-income countries compared to 30 percent in LMICs.
She emphasised that the cohesion and expertise of the multidisciplinary team are fundamental to improving survival in this condition.
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She mentioned that the Lagos University Teaching Hospital recently published data showing a radical improvement in outcomes of patients treated at the institution compared to historical and regional figures.
“We are just getting started. As someone who decided early in my career to contribute to improving childhood cancer outcomes in the region, I know from personal experience how difficult it was, and continues to be, to find training programs and training opportunities in pediatric radiation oncology,” she said. “So this is not a crusade, it’s a revolution. The pediatric cancer narrative in Africa is already changing. There is a lot of work to do, but we can do this if everyone takes commits to the effort.”
The 2021 inaugural edition of the PedROC program saw 257 oncology healthcare professionals from 20 countries in Africa and South America register for the course.
A faculty of 21 renowned pediatric radiation and oncology experts from 11 centres across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Africa, and Europe delivered course content. The PedROC curriculum offers comprehensive sessions covering the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of common childhood cancers, with a specific focus on radiotherapy treatment.
The second edition was focused on nephroblastoma also known as (Wilms Tumor), a common cancer arising from the kidney in young children. This second edition received 404 registrants from 41 countries across the globe.
Through strategic partnerships with organizations such as the International Pediatric Radiation Oncology Society (PROS ), the Nigerian Society for Pediatric Oncology (NISPO), the BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH), and especially the NSIA – LUTH Cancer Centre where children receive discounted treatment delivered by a well – organized pediatric radiation team; Akindele said the foundation intends to continue its groundbreaking work.
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