Foundation Launches Virtual Radiation Oncology Course for Childhood Cancer

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Mary Nnah

The Dorcas Cancer Foundation, a non-profit organisation has completed the second edition and official launch of the Pediatric Radiation Oncology (Virtual) Course, known as PedROC. 

This groundbreaking initiative is an innovative approach to bridging the huge gap in access to specialised training for pediatric cancer treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. The foundation has been working since 2015 to improve childhood cancer care in Africa.

The PedROC Africa programme aims to develop healthcare professionals’ capacity by increasing proficiency and expertise in pediatric radiation oncology.

Head of Programmes at The Dorcas Cancer Foundation (TDCF) and  member, the Board of Directors of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP), Mr Korede Akindele, elaborated on the primary goal of the PedROC project.  

Akindele who is also Chair of the Young SIOP Network, said, “The PedROC programme is based on the prompt and proper treatment tenet of the foundation”, adding “We are working to ensure proper treatment and thereby improve childhood cancer outcomes in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa by providing much-needed access to training to empower radiation oncology professionals in the region. 

“We have eliminated the cost and time inconvenience of travel, bypassed the problem of limited training spots available to African professionals, and reduced the risk and dangers of travel exposure while maintaining the quality of content; by connecting experienced experts who are far away with professionals on the continent who are eager to continue improving their practice and expertise’’.  

He said 80% of the world’s children reside in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), many of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, only 20% of experts and resources for Pediatric cancer reside in these regions.

 In sub-Saharan Africa, Childhood cancer diagnosis and incidence are on the rise with a significant disparity in survival rates. LMIC countries record a dismal 30% survival rate for pediatric cancers, a huge contrast to the 80-90% survival rates recorded in high-income countries (HICs).  

He explained that Radiotherapy is a crucial element of multimodal cancer treatment for pediatric cancer patients, and with an expected rise in pediatric cancer cases, adding that the demand for radiotherapy in LMICs like Nigeria is projected to increase.

“The region faces a critical shortage of trained radiation oncology professionals, a shortage that seems to be worsening with the exodus of healthcare professionals out of the region to presumed greener pastures. Compounding this shortage is the severely limited availability of training programs and education resources in pediatric radiation oncology for all cadres of healthcare professionals treating children with cancer in sub-Saharan Africa”,  he added.

The scarcity of skilled healthcare professionals including radiation oncologists, medical physicists, therapy radiographers, pediatric anesthesiologists, pediatric oncology nurses, and even child life specialists and play therapists hinders access to prompt and effective treatment for children with cancer, resulting in persistent sub-optimal treatment, and poor survival rates. Nigeria, the most populated African country with the highest population of children in Africa, has no pediatric radiation oncology fellowship programme, no programme for training or certifying allied radiation therapy professionals such as physicists and therapists in the treatment of children, adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer.

The 2021 inaugural edition of the PedROC programme saw 257 oncology healthcare professionals from 20 countries in Africa and South America register for the course. A faculty of 21 renowned pediatric radiation and oncology experts from 11 centres across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Africa, and Europe delivered course content. The foundation intends to continue building on the success of the programme and the recent edition held in July 2023 is a clear indication of both the need for and the success of the program.

The second edition was focused on Nephroblastoma also known as (Wilms Tumor), a common cancer arising from the kidney in young children. This second edition received 404 registrants from 41 countries across the globe.

A clinical radiation oncologist Dr Adedayo Joseph, who is the head of pediatric radiation oncology at the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Center in Lagos Nigeria, and the founder of The Dorcas Cancer Foundation, said, ‘’We are harnessing technology, using it as a tool to bridge the access-to-training gap”, noting further that the most rewarding part of the PedROC journey has been the overwhelming outpouring of intra- and inter- continent response and support. “We have these experts volunteering time out of their very busy schedules to share their knowledge and experience.  We have organizations throwing their weight behind us. It has been truly encouraging”, she added. 

The goal of the PedROC programme is to provide capacity building for pediatric radiation oncology professionals, thereby increasing expertise and improving outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa.