ArticleBMC medical education2024
Increasing pediatric radiation oncology capacity in sub-saharan Africa using technology: a pilot of a pediatric radiation oncology virtual training course.
Article in BMC medical education, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Setting Up a Pediatric Radiation Oncology Program in Sub-Saharan Africa: Report From Nigeria.Advances in radiation oncology · 2026Article
- Impact of health system interventions to improve access to external beam radiotherapy: a scoping review.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- PedROC 2.0: provider confidence in Wilms tumor management in sub-Saharan Africa: making the case for pediatric radiotherapy inclusion during basic medical training.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Mayo Clinic Global Oncology Fellowship: Development and Implementation of a Novel 2-Year Multidisciplinary Training Program for Oncologists from Low- and Middle-Income Countries.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2025Article
- Pediatric Medical Tourism: International Patients Seeking Treatment in the United States for Malignancy and Serious Hematologic Disorders. A Review of the St Jude Experience.JCO global oncology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe shortage of skilled healthcare professionals in pediatric oncology and the limited access to training programs remain significant challenges in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. The the Pediatric Radiation Oncology (Virtual) Course, 'PedROC' project aims to contribute to improving pediatric cancer outcomes in Nigeria by increasing the capacity of radiation oncology professionals. To address the gap in access to pediatric radiation oncology professional development, the PedROC project was created, harnessing technology to improve radiation oncology training via a curriculum delivered through web-conferencing. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the PedROC pilot in enhancing the capacity, confidence, and skill of radiation oncologists in decision-making, prescribing, and treatment planning of radiotherapy for children diagnosed with cancer.
methodsA multidisciplinary faculty of specialists in radiation oncology, pediatric oncology, oncology nursing, radiation therapy technology, and medical physics collaborated to identify the key learning needs in pediatric radiation oncology in the country. The team collaborated to develop a comprehensive curriculum covering the most common pediatric cancers in sub-Saharan Africa for the training program. The training course was conducted over two days, delivering twenty-four half-hour sessions for a total of 12 h, from July 31 to August 01, 2021.
resultsAnalysis of pre and post - training surveys showed a significant increase in self-reported confidence measures across all domains among radiation oncologists. The program successfully improved participants' knowledge and confidence levels in managing common pediatric cancers using radiotherapy, particularly addressing radiotherapy-specific issues such as appropriate dose, target volume delineation, treatment planning, dose constraints, and plan evaluation.
conclusionThe PedROC pilot showed the efficacy of this model in enhancing the capacity and confidence of radiation oncology professionals involved in the treatment of pediatric cancer. The findings indicate that technology holds significant potential to increase pediatric radiation oncology capacity in Africa, ensuring improved access to proper treatment and ultimately improving pediatric cancer outcomes.
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