Maximizing the Impact of a Pediatric Hematology‐Oncology Twinning Program

Slone, Jeremy S.; Slone, Amanda K.; Mehta, Parth

doi:10.1002/pbc.25679

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Although additional study is required, we postulate that many factors influenced the low treatment abandonment rate, including a well-coordinated nationalized health care system, government-sponsored travel between medical facilities, meals provided to inpatients and a caregiver, servicing of a smaller population than other LMICs, efforts of PMH-based social workers, cultural influences, access to a member of the medical team via a shared service phone (7 days a week, 24 hours per day), and the addition of a program nurse care coordinator. 38 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishing a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Program in Botswana

Slone

Wally

et al. 2018

JGO

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PurposeAnnually, 300,000 children are diagnosed with cancer, and the majority of these children live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Currently, there is incomplete information on pediatric cancer incidence, diagnosis distribution, and treatment outcomes in Africa. Since 2007, a pediatric hematology-oncology program has been operating in Botswana through a partnership between the Botswana government, Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas Children’s Hospital.MethodsTo better understand patient characteristics and outcomes at Botswana’s only pediatric cancer program, a hospital-based data base—the Botswana Pediatric Oncology Database—was established in 2014. Children younger than 18 years of age at the time of diagnosis who presented between 2008 and 2015 were included. Data for this study were extracted in February 2016.ResultsOf the 240 potential enrollees, 185 (77%) children met eligibility for this study. The median age was 6.4 years, and 50.8% were male. Leukemia was the most common malignancy representing 18.9% of the cohort and 88.1% of the total cohort had a histopathologic diagnosis. HIV seropositivity was confirmed in 13.5%. The 2-year overall survival of all pediatric cancer diagnoses was 52.4%. Abandonment of treatment occurred in 3.8% of patients.ConclusionIn the first 9 years of the program, capacity has been developed through a longstanding partnership between Botswana and Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital that has led to children receiving care for cancer and blood disorders. Although continued improvements are necessary, outcomes to date indicate that children with cancer in Botswana can be successfully diagnosed and treated.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishing a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Program in Botswana

Slone

Wally

et al. 2018

JGO

Self Cite

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“…Because of the addition of a second physician through the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI)/Texas Children’s Hospital Global Health Corps and a TXCH project manager/care coordinator based at PMH, the full-time pediatric hematologist-oncologist was able to engage in nationwide outreach for the first time since the program’s inception in 2007. 14 With limited time and resources, more than 50% of government hospitals were reached, with 362 health care workers attending the training. The long-term impact on referral patterns and new cancer diagnoses remains to be seen, but the short-term impact can be seen in the respondents’ increased awareness of basic pediatric cancer knowledge and the services available at PMH for children with cancer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pediatric Cancer Recognition Training in Botswana

Slone

Ishigami

Mehta

2016

Global Pediatric Health

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Delayed presentation of children with cancer is a significant barrier to improving the survival from children’s cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Botswana, a country of approximately 2 million people in southern Africa, has only 1 pediatric cancer treatment program, based at Princess Marina Hospital (PMH) in the capital of Gaborone. A pediatric cancer recognition training program was developed that reached 50% of the government hospitals in Botswana teaching 362 health care workers how to recognize and refer children with cancer to PMH. Through evaluation of attendees, limitations in pediatric cancer training and general knowledge of pediatric cancer were identified. Attendees demonstrated improvement in their understanding of pediatric cancer and the referral process to PMH following the workshop.

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“…Regional training, such as fellowship programs in UNOP Guatemala serving candidates from Latin America, the National University Hospital Singapore, serving South East Asia, or the Red Cross Children's Hospital in Cape Town serving Africa, are of much greater value and can even cover specialized needs, such as bone marrow transplantation or neuro‐oncology 17,18 . Web‐based tumor boards 19 and adapted protocols also benefit patient care in the LMICs 20 …”

Section: Physician Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of twinning in sustainable care for children with cancer: A TIPPing point? SIOP PODC Working Group on Twinning, Collaboration, and Support

Kanwar

Schwartz

Salifu

et al. 2020

Pediatric Blood & Cancer

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With the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer, there is renewed interest in sustainable interventions to improve childhood cancer care in low-/middle-income countries (LMICs). Practitioners in LMICs have traditionally practiced "twinning," i.e., targeted international pediatric oncology partnerships (TIPPs) between one or more institutions in a high-income country (HIC) and an LMIC, to improve care for children with cancer in the latter. The International Society of Paediatric Oncology Committee for Paediatric Oncology in Developing Countries Working Group on Twinning, Collaboration, and Support reviewed guidelines from https: //cancerpointe.com and the current literature, gathered input from practitioners in LMICs, and in this article discuss the role of TIPPs in the WHO initiative.

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Maximizing the Impact of a Pediatric Hematology‐Oncology Twinning Program

Cited by 4 publications

References 1 publication

Establishing a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Program in Botswana

Establishing a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Program in Botswana

Pediatric Cancer Recognition Training in Botswana

The role of twinning in sustainable care for children with cancer: A TIPPing point? SIOP PODC Working Group on Twinning, Collaboration, and Support

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