A Transformative Decade: An Evaluation of the Francophone African Group of Pediatric Oncology's Training Program (2014-2024).

Childhood cancer in Africa faces significant challenges due to workforce shortages and limited training opportunities. The French African Group for Pediatric Oncology (GFAOP) established the African School of Pediatric Oncology and introduced a pediatric oncology teaching called the "Diplome Universitaire de Cancérologie Pédiatrique" (DUCP) training program. This report evaluates the contributions of the DUCP program to pediatric oncology in Africa and discusses the sustainability of the program.

The management of osteosarcoma in children and adolescents in a resource-limited setting: quality improvement considerations to improve treatment outcomes.

Background: The survival rates for children and adolescents with osteosarcoma in low-income countries are poor. Insufficient data regarding the challenges of managing osteosarcoma in resource-limited settings has been published. We evaluated the treatment of osteosarcoma in children and adolescents with the aim of improving the health system and management outcomes.

Dilemmas in the Management of an Infant with Neuroblastoma Metastasized to the Muscles.

The risk stratification of infants with metastatic neuroblastoma (NB) has evolved over time from stage 4/M or IVs/4S/MS/Ms according to various staging systems. Despite these developments for some genetic aberrations, the prognostic value and the impact of soft tissue metastases in infants are not fully understood, nor well described in the different classification systems, hampering the definitions to uniformly treat patients and predict prognosis. A literature review on staging of infants with M/MS disease was performed at the occasion of the diagnosis of NB in an 8-month-old boy who presented with atypical metastatic sites in soft tissue and an aberrant tumor biology.

Extracranial germ cell tumours: Mature and immature (1990-2015). First report by the South African Association of Paediatric Haematology Oncology (SAAPHO).

Background And Objectives: Outcomes of rare paediatric teratomas have not previously been reported nor treatment regimens standardised in low- and middle-income settings. We sought to evaluate treatment outcomes of children and adolescents with histologically confirmed extracranial germ cell tumours, both mature teratomas (MT) and immature teratomas (IT) in preparation for the development of the South African national treatment guideline.

Methods: Retrospective data by folder review were collated from nine South African paediatric oncology units.

Erythrocytapheresis in Children and Young Adults with Hemoglobinopathies and Iron Overload in Need of Iron Chelation Therapy.

Limited data regarding erythrocytapheresis in children, adolescents, and young adults have been published. The aim of this study was to evaluate erythrocytapheresis, either as a standalone therapy or in combination with iron chelation therapy, in children and young adults with hemoglobinopathies in whom current iron chelation therapy is not sufficient in decreasing the iron overload during management. We retrospectively analysed erythrocytapheresis in 19 patients with hemoglobinopathies in need of iron chelation therapy diagnosed with sickle cell disease (SCD) or β-thalassemia major.

Socioeconomic status significantly impacts childhood cancer survival in South Africa.

Background And Aims: Significantly discrepant survival rates have been documented in single disease childhood cancer cohorts in South Africa; those from higher socioeconomic groups were shown to have a significantly lower risk of death than those from less affluent households. This study aimed to determine the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on childhood cancer survival using pooled South African data.

Methods: Five databases spanning January 2000 to December 2021 were interrogated.

A retrospective evaluation of the presentation, prognostic factors and outcomes of neuroblastoma in Ugandan children.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood. The complete burden and outcomes in Uganda are unknown. The study was a multicenter retrospective chart review of children aged between 0 to 15 years diagnosed with NB from 2010 to 2020.

Evaluating the baseline survival outcomes of the "six Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer index cancers" in Africa.

Limited survival data for the six Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) priority cancers are available in Africa. Management of pediatric malignancies in Africa is challenging due to lack of resources, setting-specific comorbidities, high rates of late presentation and treatment abandonment. Reporting of outcome data is problematic due to the lack of registries.

The clinicopathological profile and value of multidisciplinary management of pediatric brain tumors in a low-income setting.

Brain tumors are the most common solid tumors in children and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in children worldwide. Data on the epidemiology and management of pediatric brain tumors in Uganda are limited. We aimed to assess the clinicopathological profile and management of pediatric brain tumors at the national oncology center in Uganda since the inception of weekly multidisciplinary meetings.

Conference report on the 14th International Society of Paediatric Oncology African Continental Meeting, 16-18 March 2022, Kampala, Uganda.

Together with the Africa Continental Branch of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP Africa), the Uganda Cancer Institute, a tertiary governmental institution for specialised cancer care services, research and training, hosted the 14th continental meeting of SIOP Africa from the 16-18 March 2022. Under the conference theme, 'Innovate for Africa', the hybrid conference brought together close to 400 international delegates to discuss innovations and experiences, as well as share the latest research in the field of paediatric oncology. The World Health Organisation 2030 Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer provided the main starting point for the conference with a comprehensive pre-conference workshop programme, from multiple stakeholders and organisations and the themes for the plenaries towards improving survival to the main breakout sessions.

Current status of African pediatric oncology education efforts aligned with the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer.

Education of the pediatric oncology workforce is an important pillar of the World Health Organization CureAll technical package. This is not only limited to healthcare workers, but all stakeholders in the childhood cancer management process. It includes governmental structures, academic institutions, parents and communities.

If prophylactic HPV vaccination is considered in a woman with CIN2+, what is the value and should it be given before or after the surgical treatment?

Since the introduction of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination, the number of precancerous lesions has decreased in countries with a high HPV vaccination coverage. Currently women who present with a precancerous cervical lesions (CIN2 + ), are often not vaccinated or not vaccinated with the latest vaccine. Although resection of the precancerous lesion is the standard approach, the guidelines regarding vaccination are not clear.

Malignant extracranial germ cell tumours: A first national report by the South African Children's Cancer Study Group.

Objective: To determine the overall survival (OS) and prognostic factors influencing outcomes in children and adolescents with malignant extracranial germ cell tumours (MEGCTs) in preparation for the development of a harmonised national treatment protocol.

Methods: A retrospective folder review was undertaken at nine South African paediatric oncology units to document patient profiles, tumour and treatment-related data and outcomes for all children with biopsy-proven MEGCTs from birth up to and including 16 years of age.

Results: Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2015, 218 patients were diagnosed with MEGCTs.

The scope of childhood cancer in South Africa: A response to 'Childhood cancers in a section of the South African private health sector - Analysis of medicines claims data'.

Unlabelled: Childhood cancer is an under resourced medical field that is emerging as a great healthcare concern in low- and middle-income countries such as South Africa. Therefore, reporting data in this field that may inform policymakers should be representative of the subject matter. This article aims to discuss why medicines claims as an indicator for incidence, as per an article published in 2020, is not representative of childhood malignancies in the South African setting.

Thrombocytopenia in severe iron deficiency anemia in children.

Aim: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is common in the pediatric population and often accompanied by mild thrombocytosis, but rarely profound thrombocytopenia is seen. We describe the data of children with IDA and thrombocytopenia in two centers and discuss the published data in the literature.

Methods: In this retrospective case series, the medical records of patients under the age of 19 years old diagnosed with IDA in two tertiary medical centers over the last 10 years, were reviewed.

The Challenges of Crizotinib Treatment in a Child With Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma.

Survival in cases involving childhood malignancy is reaching nearly 80% in high-income countries, yet cancer remains one of the leading disease-related causes of death in children. In adult oncology the role of targeted therapies is established, but information regarding the use of these therapies in children is limited, largely because targeted therapies were developed in the context of adult pathologies. The few pediatric reports regarding crizotinib, an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor, seem promising.

Reporting Incidences of Neuroblastoma in Various Resource Settings.

Purpose: The incidences of neuroblastoma (NB) differ significantly between various resource settings because of varying quality of cancer registries and underdiagnoses. This study aimed to evaluate current regional variations as reported by international cancer registries and the theoretical and reported differences in international NB incidences and to evaluate South Africa (SA) as a case for variable reporting.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review on registries reporting on NB was performed to construct incidence tables.

Sex Cord Stromal Tumors in Children and Adolescents: A First Report by The South African Children's Cancer Study Group (1990-2015).

Objectives: Pediatric sex cord stromal tumors (SCSTs) are extremely rare and there are no reported data from Africa. The authors evaluated the outcomes of children and adolescents with biopsy-proven SCSTs in preparation for the introduction of a national protocol.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective data were collated from 9 South African pediatric oncology units from January 1990 to December 2015.