Psychosocial Lived Experience of Parents with Children Diagnosed with Cancer in Lubumbashi

Abstract

Objective: To determine the psychosocial problems, social acceptance and the impact of the costs of parents whose child has cancer. Method: We carried out a descriptive cross-sectional study over two-year periods (from January 3, 2018 to March 31, 2020) in the pediatric oncology unit of clinics at the University of Lubumbashi, in DR Congo. Results: 129 parents of children with cancer in the pediatric oncology unit were included in our study. Most children with cancer (53%) were accompanied by their mothers who had a low level of education (53.0%). Emotional shock was the most observed reaction (68%) to the announcement of the disease (cancer). Retinoblastoma has had a significant economic impact on families without medical coverage. Only 38% received psychological support from parents. Sadness was the most common feeling (77%) of households. Support workers consider their relationship with the medical profession acceptable in 67% and difficult in 11%. The majority of parents (78%) felt that the time to provide medical care was longer than expected. Conclusion: Parents of children with cancer had different feelings and reactions. This observation may be useful for the development of a health policy, in particular that of pediatric cancer in DR Congo.

Financial Costs of Pediatric Cancer Management in Africa: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Between March 2000 and March 2020, we selected 18 articles that met the inclusion criteria post reviewing the titles and abstracts of 103 indexed articles. Only 18 of the 54 countries in Africa were represented: DRC (Mjumbe et al, 2020 ;Lukamba et al, 2018 ;Hendricks et al, 2011), Rwanda (Stulac et al, 2015 ;Neal et al, 2018 ;Kanyamuhunga et al, 2015), Malawi (Hesseling, 2009), North Sudan (Abuidris et al, 2008), Benin (Akhiwu et al, 2009), Tunisia (Missaoui et al, 2011), Nigeria (Meremikwu et al, 2005), Uganda (Fung et al, 2019 ;Wakabi, 2008), Ghana (Israels et al, 2018 ;Renner et al, 2018) , Malawi (Israels et al, 2018), Cameroon (Israels et al, 2018), Ivory Cost (Lukamba et al, 2018 ;Yao et al, 2019 ;Hendricks et al, 2011), Mali (Traoré et al, 2018), Cameroon (Doumbe et al, 2002) and Kenya (Wakabi, 2008). It is possible that unpublished studies were conducted in this region during the study period, but we believe the results might be approximately the same.…”

“…Public health spending on the continent has mainly targeted infectious and parasitic diseases (AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, etc.) and not cancer, and public aid from developed countries has similarly been targeted against epidemics, such as the Ebola virus and other crises, leaving the fight against cancer relegated to the background (Chattu et al, 2021 ;Mjumbe et al, 2020). According to the Global Task Force on Expanded Access to Cancer Care and Control, only 5% of the world's cancer resources are spent in developing countries, and individual countries must draw up their own multi-year cancer plans adapted to their own socio-economic situations (Knaul et al, 2011).…”

Financial costs of pediatric cancer management in Africa: systematic review

“…and not cancer. And public aid from developed countries has similarly targeted epidemics, such as the Ebola virus and other crises, leaving the fight against cancer relegated to the background ( 5 , 6 ). According to the Global Task Force on Expanded Access to Cancer Care and Control, only 5% of the world’s cancer resources are spent in developing countries, and individual countries must draw up their own multi-year cancer plans adapted to their own socio-economic situations ( 7 ).…”