Improving Care for Children With Cancer in Africa: Two Decades of Experience of the French African Pediatric Oncology Group

Harif, Mhamed; Mallon, Brenda; Patte, Catherine; Bey, P.; Chalvon-Demersay, Corinne; Omer-Decugis, Louis; Hessissen, Laïla

doi:10.1200/go.21.00239

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Training was mandatory and incorporated a seven‐module e‐learning program, including lists of diagnostic documents necessary for each cancer type (see Supporting Information on training program). Single case entry time was calculated at 30 minutes, and POUs received financial compensation of 100€ per month from the GFAOP 11,12 . Data collection and processing were quality controlled, and each POU was subjected to at least one external audit by GFAOP research coordinators and oncology experts.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During audits, a random sample of 100 registered files were checked and compared to data entered. Particular attention was paid to obligatory variables such as diagnostic and disease extension confirmation documents, and included POUs' adherence to provision of standard GFAOP essential services, namely, surgery, histology, and hematology departments 11,12 . For each registered case, the HBCR collected patient identifiers, sex, date of birth, date of diagnosis, and basis of diagnosis (pathology, hematology, or imaging), cancer characteristics, and follow‐up information.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The registry collects, along with other variables, information on stage of the registered cases, and therefore represent a valuable source of stage data for the few existing PBCRs in the participating countries. [10][11][12] Here, we describe the feasibility of the implementation of TG to the cancers diagnosed, staged, and registered by the seven selected POUs of the GFAOP, and estimate survival by stage at diagnosis at 3, 6, and 12 months. We compare the cancer type frequency across selected hospital units.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Data are collected prospectively online, at source in the POUs by trained researchers, and centralized in the database of the GFAOP HBCR, held in Gustave Roussy in France. The registry collects, along with other variables, information on stage of the registered cases, and therefore represent a valuable source of stage data for the few existing PBCRs in the participating countries 10–12 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The feasibility of implementing Toronto childhood cancer stage guidelines and estimating the impact on outcome for childhood cancers in seven pediatric oncology units in sub‐Saharan Africa. A study from the Franco‐African Pediatric Oncology Group

Mallon,

Kaboré,

Couitchere

et al. 2023

Pediatric Blood & Cancer

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe improvement of childhood cancer outcome is determined by early diagnosis, effective treatment, supportive care, and adequate medical follow‐up. Stage at diagnosis may reflect timeliness of diagnosis, therefore standardized registration of stage is essential for interpretation of regional differences and time trends in survival. Here, we describe the feasibility of implementing the Toronto Childhood Cancer Stage Guidelines (hereafter Toronto Guidelines [TG]) in the hospital‐based cancer registry of the Franco‐African Pediatric Oncology Group (GFAOP), and assess the impact of TG stage on outcome in pediatric oncology units (POUs) in seven low‐ and middle‐income countries in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA).MethodsAll cancer patients diagnosed before 15 years of age with one of the 15 cancer types defined in TG, resident in one of the participating countries, and attending one of the selected POUs in 2017–2019 were included. Stage was assigned according to TG. Patients were followed‐up for vital status for at least 12 months post diagnosis. Survival at 3, 6, and 12 months was calculated using Kaplan–Meier method and compared between POUs and tumor groups using log‐rank test.ResultsTG stage was assigned to 1772 of 2446 (89%) cases diagnosed with one of 11 cancer types. It was not possible to assign TG stage to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and the three types of the central nervous system tumors included in the TG. One‐year overall survival (OS) was 58% [95% confidence interval: 55–60] and varied between POUs. Survival declined with increasing stage for four tumor types and was statistically significant for two.ConclusionExcept for ALL and brain tumors, we demonstrated feasibility of TG implementation for childhood solid cancers in participating POUs in SSA, and provided a baseline assessment of childhood cancer outcomes against which future stage distribution and survival can be measured as timelines of diagnosis improve over time within the GFAOP network.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The feasibility of implementing Toronto childhood cancer stage guidelines and estimating the impact on outcome for childhood cancers in seven pediatric oncology units in sub‐Saharan Africa. A study from the Franco‐African Pediatric Oncology Group

Mallon,

Kaboré,

Couitchere

et al. 2023

Pediatric Blood & Cancer

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

A Multidisciplinary Consensus‐Building Exercise to Define and Prioritize Topics in Supportive Care of Children With Cancer at a Global Level

Sniderman,

Reljic,

Bhakta

et al. 2024

Cancer Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionOptimal outcomes during childhood cancer treatment require effective management of toxicities, often called supportive care. A lack of agreement on what comprises supportive care limits the development and provision of comprehensive guidance (for this work, we have defined supportive care as any disease‐ or treatment‐related condition experienced by children with cancer, excluding psychosocial conditions, palliative care, survivorship, or procedural topics). To address this gap, we conducted a consensus‐building exercise among global experts to define and prioritize topics for supportive care.MethodsTwo rounds of brainstorming and prioritization exercises were conducted. A multidisciplinary panel nominated by professional societies and cooperative groups was formed to ensure geographic and resource representation using snowball sampling. An internal expert panel generated an initial list of supportive care topics. In round one, the multidisciplinary panel reviewed the initial list and recommended additional topics, followed by prioritization in round two using a seven‐point Likert scale. Results were summarized using descriptive statistics.ResultsThe multidisciplinary panel consisted of 57 members representing 32 countries. The initial list included 46 topics; 161 additional topics were suggested. After removing duplicates and out‐of‐scope additions, the final list contained 62 topics. Febrile neutropenia, sepsis, bloodstream infections, and pain were ranked highest priority. Mortality, morbidity, and frequency of the event were identified as the most important factors influencing prioritization.ConclusionThrough a multidisciplinary and globally representative process, we identified core supportive care topics and factors influencing their prioritization for childhood cancer. Outputs from this work will inform efforts to generate resource‐adapted recommendations for a global audience. This supports ongoing WHO CureAll work to develop a health systems‐level policy brief of supportive care requirements in the management of children with cancer.

show abstract

Analysis of Wilms Tumour Epidemiology, Clinicopathological Features and Treatment Outcomes in 84 Moroccan Patients

Benlhachemi,

Khattab,

Hattoufi

et al. 2024

Cancer Reports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundWilms tumour (WT), the second most reported childhood cancer in Morocco, is a malignant kidney tumour that affects children under 15 years old. Prognosis has improved with the adoption of multimodal treatment. However, data on WT in Morocco remain limited.AimsThis study aims to comprehensively describe and analyse the epidemiological, clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes of WT in Moroccan patients, including treatment response and recurrence rates.Methods and ResultsA retrospective study involved 84 children under 15 years with WT, treated according to the SIOP protocol and followed at the Paediatric Haematology and Oncology Centre at Children's hospital of Rabat, between January 2014 and February 2018. The median age of participants was 36 months, with a male/female sex ratio of 0.79. Abdominal mass was the primary concern in 55 cases (66%). Five patients (6%) had bilateral WT. Metastatic WT occurred in 21 cases (25%). Stage III was predominant in 33 cases (43%). Twenty cases (26%) had high‐risk WT, and IVC tumour thrombus was observed in 12 cases (14%). WT histotype correlated significantly with both sex and tumour localisation (p values of 0.040 and 0.013, respectively). Age correlated significantly with WT extension, overall stage and SIOP histology risk grades (p values of 0.003, 0.003 and 0.045, respectively). Overall stage was statistically related to the occurrence of IVC tumour thrombus (p = 0.002). Over a 5‐year span post‐nephrectomy, complete remission was achieved in 63 patients (75%), partial remission in one patient (1%), while 19 patients (23%) died and one patient (1%) relapsed.ConclusionThese findings are encouraging for a developing country. However, the elevated rates of Stages III and IVC thrombus in this series are still high, primarily attributed to delays in diagnosis and treatment and the limited number of paediatric haematology and oncology units at the time of the study. Nevertheless, further multicentric research is warranted to enrich Moroccan data and establish a national register for WT cases.

show abstract

Improving Care for Children With Cancer in Africa: Two Decades of Experience of the French African Pediatric Oncology Group

Cited by 7 publications

References 14 publications

The feasibility of implementing Toronto childhood cancer stage guidelines and estimating the impact on outcome for childhood cancers in seven pediatric oncology units in sub‐Saharan Africa. A study from the Franco‐African Pediatric Oncology Group

The feasibility of implementing Toronto childhood cancer stage guidelines and estimating the impact on outcome for childhood cancers in seven pediatric oncology units in sub‐Saharan Africa. A study from the Franco‐African Pediatric Oncology Group

A Multidisciplinary Consensus‐Building Exercise to Define and Prioritize Topics in Supportive Care of Children With Cancer at a Global Level

Analysis of Wilms Tumour Epidemiology, Clinicopathological Features and Treatment Outcomes in 84 Moroccan Patients

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About