Introduction
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 400,000 children and
adolescents develop cancer each year. More than two-thirds of the
world’s pediatric cancers are diagnosed in low and middle-income
countries (LMIC). [1] Pakistan is a lower middle-income country and
no such data is available. Our country’s lack of population-based cancer
registries results in an underestimation of the burden of childhood
cancer. In Pakistan, a regional cancer registry estimated that about
7000 to 7500 children are diagnosed with cancer every year.[2]
Radiation therapy is an integral part of cancer treatment in the
pediatric population and its utilization faces multiple and unique
barriers in countries with limited resources due to lack of data
regarding pediatric RT service and the clinical profiles of children
requiring radiation therapy. All these factors contribute towards a
poorer survival chance than those in high income countries (HIC).
There is limited data available on radiotherapy experience for pediatric
tumors in our part of the world. We present the clinical profile of
pediatric cancer patients who received radiation, either alone or as an
adjuvant to surgery and chemotherapy; in prophylactic, radical, or
palliative clinical settings.
Improvement in pediatric oncology care can only be achieved through
national cancer control program which begins with establishing cancer
registries. This study aims to improve practices in pediatric radiation
oncology in LMIC by sharing an institutional experience of radiation
therapy for pediatric cancer at the Aga Khan University Hospital, a
tertiary care hospital accredited by Joint Commission International.
This data may further identify and help reduce the disparity in outcomes
between HIC and LMIC.