Childhood and Adolescent Cancer Care at a Tertiary Hospital in Northern Tanzania: A Retrospective Study - Summary of Purpose, Methods, Results, and Conclusion

Q: What was the purpose of the study in Northern Tanzania?

The study aimed to summarize the epidemiology and care patterns of newly diagnosed childhood cancer patients in Northern Tanzania.

Q: How were the study data collected and analyzed?

Data came from all children and adolescents aged 0–19 with newly diagnosed cancers in the Kilimanjaro Cancer Registry at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre. Descriptive and inferential analyses compared demographic and clinical characteristics over time, stage, and status at last contact.

Q: What treatments were most commonly used among patients with available staging data?

Among the staging-available subset, chemotherapy was the most common treatment (87.1%), compared with radiotherapy and surgery.

Sep 24, 2026

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This retrospective study summarizes epidemiology and care patterns for newly diagnosed childhood and adolescent cancer patients in Northern Tanzania using data from the Kilimanjaro Cancer Registry. All patients aged 0–19 years with new cancers were analyzed with descriptive and inferential comparisons over time, stage, and status at last contact; staging-available subset analyses were also performed. Results include 417 diagnoses (2016–2021), leading leukemias and lymphomas, stage III-or-higher at diagnosis in over 75%, and chemotherapy as the most common treatment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

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Original Reports | Pediatric Oncology Childhood and Adolescent Cancer Care at a Tertiary Hospital in Northern Tanzania: A Retrospective Study Esther Majaliwa, MD1,2; Emily R. Smith, PhD3,4 ; Cesia Cotache-Condor, MPH4,5 ; Hannah Rice, MPH6; Yotham Gwanika, BS7; Julia Canick, MD4 ; Nelson Chao, MD8; Kristin Schroeder, MD9,10 ; Henry E. Rice, MD4,5; Catherine Staton, MD3,4 ; and Blandina T. Mmbaga, MD2,11 DOI [https://doi.org/10.1200/GO.22.00263](https://doi.org/10.1200/GO.22.00263) | ABSTRACT | | | --- | --- | | PURPOSE | Over 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer around the world each year, with over 80% of these children residing in low-and middle-income countries. This study aims to summarize the epidemiology and care patterns of newly diagnosed childhood cancer patients in Northern Tanzania. | | METHODS | Data from all children and adolescents (age 0-19 years) with newly diagnosed cancers were collected from the Kilimanjaro Cancer Registry located at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants over time, stage, and status at last contact. Statistical signiﬁcance was set at P < .05. Secondary descriptive analysis was conducted on a subset sample with available staging data. | | RESULTS | Atotal of 417 patients were diagnosed with cancer between 2016 and 2021. There was an increase in the rate of patients with newly diagnosed pediatric cancer each year, particularly among children under age 5 years and 10 years. Leukemias and lymphomas were the leading diagnoses and accounted for 183 (43.8%) of all patients. Over 75% of patients were diagnosed at stage III or above. From a subset analysis of patients with available staging data (n 5 101), chemotherapy was the most common treatment (87.1%), compared with radiotherapy and surgery. | | CONCLUSION | There is a signiﬁcant burden of children with cancer in Tanzania. Our study ﬁlls crucial gaps in the literature related to the large burden of disease and survival for children with cancer in the Kilimanjaro region. Furthermore, our results can be used to understand the regional needs and guide research and strategic interventions to improve childhood cancer survival in Northern Tanzania. | Accepted May 8, 2023 Published June 29, 2023 JCO Global Oncol 9:e2200263 © 2023 by American Society of Clinical Oncology Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License INTRODUCTION Each year, there are over 400,000 newly diagnosed children with cancer around the world, with over 80% of these children residing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) .1 Treatment of pediatric cancer in LMICs is increasingly recognized as a growing global health burden although the focus on children’s cancer care has only recently been prioritized in the global health agenda.2,3 In the past few years, several notable developments have highlighted the need to improve cancer care for children in LMICs. In 2017, the World Health Assembly Cancer Resolution called for resource-stratiﬁed guidance for cancer programs in LMICs, including interventions speciﬁcally forchildren.4 In 2018, the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer was announced at the United General Assembly, with a focus on increasing the survival rates of childhood cancers to 60% by 2030 .5 Many children with cancer in LMICs face barriers across the entire continuum of care, particularly for delays in diagnosis and initiation of treatment.6 Children often do not have access to high-quality care and have high rates of abandonment of treatment.7 These barriers lead to increased mortality risks,ﬁnancial costs, and household impoverishment.8-11 Although recent progress has been made in cancer care in LMICs, survival rates in many regions remain far lower compared with those in high-income countries.12 We recently have shown that sub-Saharan African countries have the highest vulnerability of chi

FAQs

What was the purpose of the study in Northern Tanzania?

The study aimed to summarize the epidemiology and care patterns of newly diagnosed childhood cancer patients in Northern Tanzania.

How were the study data collected and analyzed?

Data came from all children and adolescents aged 0–19 with newly diagnosed cancers in the Kilimanjaro Cancer Registry at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre. Descriptive and inferential analyses compared demographic and clinical characteristics over time, stage, and status at last contact.

What treatments were most commonly used among patients with available staging data?

Among the staging-available subset, chemotherapy was the most common treatment (87.1%), compared with radiotherapy and surgery.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Đào