The radiotherapy utilization rate in pediatric tumors: An analysis of 13,305 patients

The radiotherapy utilization rate in pediatric tumors: An analysis of 13,305 patients

Bishr M K; Zaghloul M S; Elmaraghi C; Galal A; Abdelaziz M S; Elghazawy H I; Shaheen H; Ramzy E S; Mesbah A; Eissa S K; Hegazy R; Hamza A M; Elkhateeb N; Mousa A G

Radiotherapy and Oncology

2021

pediatric; cancer; radiotherapy; low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); utilization rate; LMIC

Purpose: Although the radiotherapy utilization rate (RUR) is determined for most adult cancers, it is seldom reported in childhood tumors, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) where the majority of pediatric cancer patients reside. This study aims to investigate the real-life RUR for pediatric tumors in a large LMIC center. Material(s) and Method(s): The electronic files of patients treated at a single institution during 2010-2017 were reviewed and the RUR was defined as the percentage of patients who received at least one radiotherapy (RT) course from the total number of patients. Result(s): A total of 4390 out of 13,305 pediatric cancer patients received at least one RT course with a RUR of 33%. The curative, salvage, and palliative RURs were 27.8%, 2%, and 5.7%, respectively. There was a considerable variation in the RUR between various tumors, ranging from 0% in choroid plexus papilloma and other rare tumors to 100% in intracranial germinoma. Moreover, the RUR varied among different stages within each tumor type. Overall, 753 patients received 920 palliative RT courses (range 1-9) at a median dose of 30 Gy. The most commonly irradiated metastatic sites were the bone (34%) and the brain (9.8%). Conclusion(s): This is the first analysis to provide valuable insights into the RUR for childhood tumors. Together with population-based pediatric cancer registries, this will help decipher pediatric RT needs and deficits. Additionally, the underutilization of palliative RT calls for multidisciplinary palliative care provision for pediatric cancer patients. Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V.

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