IPRO Treatment Training, a Solution to Childhood Cancer in Africa, Experts Posit

Medical experts at the two-day virtual bootcamp on Intensified Pediatric Radiation Oncology (IPRO), have stressed that training of medical personnel on IPRO treatment would go a long way to reduce childhood cancer in Africa. They made this statement during the virtual bootcamp recently organised by The Dorcas Cancer Foundation (TDCF), in collaboration with Association of Radiation and Clinical Oncologist of Nigeria (ARCON)

In his remark, the Founder TDCF, Dr Adedayo Joseph, said, while radiation therapy was necessary and was a highly specialised treatment modality in childhood cancers, access to pediatric radiation oncology services and specialists in Nigeria was significantly deficient.

Dr. Joseph, also a Clinical Radiation Oncologist and Research Programme Director at the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Center, said there was need to improve the survival rates for children living with cancer in Nigeria and Africa.

He said, “In Nigeria, we have limited access to Pediatric Radiation Oncology, training or expertise. It is an underserved population and an issue that must be addressed if pediatric cancer survival is truly going to improve in the country.”

According to him, radiation therapy contributes to 40 per cent of all cancer cures world-wide, and it’s used for curative treatment, to improve quality of life, for pain control and to treat other conditions such as bleeding, skin conditions and more. The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) 2018 report, notes that over 80 per cent of childhood cancer cases occur in low and middle income countries, while the childhood cancer associated mortality is two to three times recorded in high income countries.

Joseph said, “everyone must work together to increase the survival rates of children living with cancer to at least 60 per cent by 2030, with a considerable interest in LMIC like Nigeria where survival rates are remarkably lower than HIC.”

Also speaking, the President of ARCON, Dr. Nwamaka Lasebikan, said accessing radiotherapy services in Nigeria has been a huge challenge.

He noted that only four centres are currently offering the services across the 36 states in the nation, with only two of the centres equipped with modern imaging treatment planning machines and software.

While speaking on the importance of pediatric radiation oncology fellowship training programme in Nigeria, Lasebikan, who is also a Consultant Clinical and Radiation Oncologist at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, said it will provide for continuous meaningful manpower development and make adequate long term advances in the care for pediatric oncology patients. She said there was an urgent need to rapidly upscale the skills of healthcare personnel tasked with providing care to this vulnerable group, while there is simultaneous effort to provide the necessary infrastructure to enable health care personnel tackle cancer through active oncology care.

Also speaking, Pediatric Hemato-Oncologist, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Seye Akinsete, decried the rising burden of pediatric oncology treatment deficit in Nigeria.

He lamented the lack of manpower, stating that Nigeria has only 42 pediatric oncologists as at 2019, with few or no pediatric oncology trained nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists and psychologists.

Addressing radiation oncology challenges, Associate Professor, Pediatric Hematology Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Cancer Center, Global Team, Dr. Manoo Bhakta, said in order to achieve the WHO goal of having at least 60 per cent survival for all children with cancer care by 2030, capacity of countries must be increased to deliver best practices in childhood cancer care.