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Childhood cancer care in Cameroon: Bottlenecks and Opportunities
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  • Andreas Frambo,
  • Berthe Sabine Esson Mapoko,
  • Valirie Ndip Agbor,
  • Joseph Nkfusai,
  • Sophie De Chazal,
  • Nyemb Mbog Grace,
  • Armelle Kamdem,
  • Glenn Mbah,
  • Francine Kouya,
  • Emily Kobayashi,
  • Ousmane Diaby,
  • ANGELE PONDY,
  • Paul Ndom,
  • Yauba Saidu
Andreas Frambo
Clinton Health Access Initiative

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Berthe Sabine Esson Mapoko
Universite de Yaounde I Faculte de Medecine et des Sciences Biomedicales
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Valirie Ndip Agbor
University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Population Health
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Joseph Nkfusai
University of Buea Faculty of Health Sciences
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Sophie De Chazal
Clinton Health Access Initiative
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Nyemb Mbog Grace
Chantal Biya Foundation
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Armelle Kamdem
Chantal Biya Foundation
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Glenn Mbah
University of Bamenda
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Francine Kouya
Mbingo Baptist Hospital
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Emily Kobayashi
Clinton Health Access Initiative
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Ousmane Diaby
Universite de Ngaoundere Faculte des Sciences
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ANGELE PONDY
Universite de Yaounde I Faculte de Medecine et des Sciences Biomedicales
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Paul Ndom
Universite de Yaounde I Faculte de Medecine et des Sciences Biomedicales
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Yauba Saidu
Clinton Health Access Initiative
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Abstract

Background Childhood cancer is the sixth leading cause of global cancer burden. Indeed, 90% of childhood cancer cases occur in low-middle-income countries (LMICs), where mortality can be 4-5 times higher than in high income settings. In addition, many LMICs lack data on pediatric oncology for policy development and resource prioritization. In this paper, we describe the state of pediatric cancer care and treatment in Cameroon. Procedure We conducted cross-sectional survey in July 2020, which enabled us to collect data from two hospitals providing pediatric oncology services in Cameroon. We collected data on service availability, human resource capacity, frequent cancer types, treatment dropout, primary reasons for drop out, disclosure of status, and management of oncology data. Result The surveyed hospitals offered both pediatric chemotherapy and palliative care services; however, none offered nuclear medicine or radiotherapy services. In terms of workforce, human resources were grossly lacking in both hospitals. The available ones include one pediatric hemato-oncologist, one medical oncologist, one resident pediatric oncologist, one pediatric surgeon, and 14 oncology nurses and about 40% (18/45) of have received specialty training in oncology. The commonest childhood cancer managed in these facilities, was Burkitt lymphoma, (39, 23%). About 30% of children on chemotherapy abandoned their treatment, primarily due to lack of funds to continue with treatment sessions. In both settings, the capacity to diagnose cancer and provide counselling was limited. In addition, the tools to capture and transmit data varied by facility, resulting to different data set being generated. Furthermore, both facilities, had no schedule and timelines for data reporting. Conclusions Our results suggest that several factors negatively impact proper cancer care and treatment of pediatric Cancers in Cameroon. These include, inadequate human resource capacity, a high proportion of dropouts from chemotherapy due to high cost, and lack of harmonized data collection and reporting tools and systems. Systematically addressing these factors could contribute to improving treatment outcomes for pediatric cancer patients in Cameroon.
25 Feb 2023Submission Checks Completed
25 Feb 2023Assigned to Editor
25 Feb 2023Submitted to Pediatric Blood & Cancer
27 May 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
05 Jun 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
06 Jul 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Major