Pediatric cancer care in Africa: SIOP Global Mapping Program report on economic and population indicators

Jennifer Ann Geel; Julia Challinor; Neil Ranasinghe; Khumo Hope Myezo; Katherine Claire Eyal; Wuraole Aderounmu; Alan Davidson; Kathy Pritchard-Jones; Scott C Howard; Eric Bouffet; Laila Hessissen

doi:10.1002/pbc.29345

Pediatric cancer care in Africa: SIOP Global Mapping Program report on economic and population indicators

Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2021 Nov;68(11):e29345. doi: 10.1002/pbc.29345. Epub 2021 Sep 14.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
² School of Nursing, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
³ SIOP PODC Education and Training Working Group, Refinitiv, UK.
⁴ Faculty of Economics, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
⁵ School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁶ Division of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
⁷ UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
⁸ Department of Acute and Tertiary Care, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, USA.
⁹ Resonance, Arlington, USA.
¹⁰ Garron Chair in Childhood Cancer Research, University of Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
¹¹ Paediatric Hematology and Oncology Unit of Rabat, Mohamed V University, Rabat, Morocco.

PMID: 34519435
DOI: 10.1002/pbc.29345

Abstract

Introduction: Inalignment with the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC), the International Society of Pediatric Oncology initiated a program to map global pediatric oncology services. As survival rates in Africa are low and data are scant, this continent was mapped first to identify areas with greatest need.

Methods: Beginning November 2018, an electronic survey was sent to all known stakeholders, followed by email communications and internet searches to verify data. Availability of pediatric oncologists, chemotherapy, surgical expertise, and radiotherapy was correlated with geographic region, World Bank income status, Universal Health Coverage, population < 15 and < 24 years, percentage of gross domestic product spent on healthcare, and Human Development Index (HDI).

Results: Responses were received from 48/54 African countries. All three treatment modalities were reportedly available in 9/48 countries, whereas seven countries reported no pediatric oncology services. Negative correlations were detected between provision of all three services and geographic region (P = 0.01), younger median population age (P = 0.002), low-income country status (P = 0.045), and lower HDI (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive overview of pediatric oncology care in Africa, emphasizing marked disparities between countries: some have highly specialized services, whereas others have no services. A long-term strategy to eliminate disparities in African pediatric cancer care should be aligned with the WHO GICC aims and facilitated by SIOP Africa.

Meeting abstracts: SIOP maps pediatric oncology services in Africa to address inequalities in childhood cancer services. Geel J, Ranasinghe N, Davidson A, Challinor J, Howard S, Wollaert S, Myezo K, Renner L, Hessissen L, Bouffet E. 51st Annual Congress of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), Lyon, France, October 2019. Pediatric Blood and Cancer Vol 66 S219-S219. Pediatric cancer care in Africa: SIOP Global Mapping Program report on economic and population indicators.

Keywords: Africa; GICC; global mapping; pediatric oncology.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Africa
Child
Humans
Medical Oncology* / trends
Neoplasms* / epidemiology
Neoplasms* / therapy
Pediatrics* / trends
Socioeconomic Factors
Surveys and Questionnaires
Survival Rate