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Background Childhood cancer is a growing public health concern in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where over two-thirds of global pediatric cancer cases occur. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, malnutrition remains a major barrier to achieving better outcomes. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of undernutrition and identify barriers to optimal nutrition among pediatric patients with cancer receiving treatment at a major referral hospital in Tanzania. Methods Two study populations were recruited: pediatric patients with cancer and their primary caregivers. Children were assessed for undernutrition using anthropometric indicators, including mid-upper arm circumference, weight-for-age, height-for-age, body mass index-for-age Z-score, and triceps skinfold thickness. Nutritional biomarkers, including serum albumin, total protein, hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular volume, were also evaluated. Caregivers completed structured questionnaires adapted from the Hunger Vital Sign™ and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Nutrition-related Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Questionnaire to assess the risk of food insecurity and caregiver nutrition knowledge and perceptions. Binary logistic regression was used to explore predictors of undernutrition. Results A total of 65 pediatric patients were enrolled, of whom 41.54% were classified as undernourished based on at least one anthropometric indicator below age-specific thresholds. Although 44.62% had low serum albumin and 30.77% had low total protein, these biomarkers may reflect overall illness rather than nutritional deficiency alone. Anemia was observed in 53.85% of children under 5 and 38.46% of those aged 5 and older. Logistic regression showed that undernutrition was more likely among children aged 5–10 and > 10 years compared to those < 5 years (OR: 1.80; 95% CI: 0.88–3.68; p  = 0.109), while anemia showed an inverse and unexpected association (OR: 0.15; 95% CI: 0.02–1.44; p  = 0.100); however, neither was statistically significant. The risk of food insecurity was identified in 78.4% of households. Caregivers not at risk demonstrated significantly better nutrition knowledge and more positive perceptions than those at risk. Conclusion Undernutrition is common among pediatric patients with cancer and may be influenced by clinical and socioeconomic factors, including anemia, caregiver knowledge, and household food insecurity. Trial Registration This study is not a clinical trial and does not require registration. Clinical trial number: not applicable.

Worldwide, an estimated 400,000 children develop cancer each year. The bulk of the mortalities from these cases occur in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). In Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a tremendous need to strengthen the capacity of health systems to provide high-quality cancer care for children. However, a lack of data on the economic impact of cancer treatment in low-resource settings hinders its consideration as a healthcare priority. To address this gap, this study models the clinical and financial impact of pediatric cancer care in Tanzania, a lower-middle income country in East Africa. We conducted a retrospective review of patients with cancer under the age of 19 years treated at Bugando Medical Centre from January 2010 to August 2014. Information was collected from a total of 161 children, including demographics, type of cancer, care received, and five-year survival outcomes. This data was used to calculate the number of averted disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) with treatment. Charges for all direct medical costs, fixed provider costs, and variable provider costs were used to calculate total cost of care. The societal economic impact of cancer treatment was modeled using the value of statistical life (VSL) and human capital methods. The total health impact for these 161 children was 819 averted DALYs at a total cost of $846,743. The median cost per patient was $5,064 ($4,746-5,501 interquartile range). The societal economic impact of cancer treatment ranged from $590,534 to $3,647,158 using VSL method and $1,776,296 using a human capital approach. Despite the limitations of existing treatment capacity, economic modeling demonstrates a positive economic impact from providing pediatric cancer care in Tanzania. As many countries like Tanzania progress towards achieving Universal Health Coverage, these key economic indicators may encourage future investment in comprehensive pediatric cancer care programs in low-resource settings to achieve clinically and economically beneficial results not only for the individual patients, but for the country as a whole.

Access to essential childhood cancer medicines is a core determinant of childhood cancer outcomes. Available evidence, although scarce, suggests that access to these medicines is highly variable across countries, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries, where the burden of childhood cancer is greatest. To support evidence-informed national and regional policies for improved childhood cancer outcomes, we aimed to analyse access to essential childhood cancer medicines in four east African countries—Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda—by determining the availability and price of these medicines and the health system determinants of access. In this comparative analysis, we used prospective mixed-method analyses to track and analyse the availability and price of essential childhood cancer medicines, investigate contextual determinants of access to childhood cancer medicines within and across included countries, and assess the potential effects of medicine stockouts on treatment. Eight tertiary care hospitals were included, seven were public sites (Kenyatta National Hospital [KNH; Nairobi, Kenya], Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Referral and Teaching Hospital [JOORTH; Kisumu, Kenya], Moi University Teaching and Referral Hospital [MTRH; Eldoret, Kenya], Bugando Medical Centre [BMC; Mwanza, Tanzania], Muhimbili National Hospital [MNH; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania], Butaro Cancer Centre of Excellence [BCCE; Butaro Sector, Rwanda], and Uganda Cancer Institute [UCI; Kampala, Uganda]) and one was a private site (Aga Khan University Hospital [AKU; Nairobi, Kenya]). We catalogued prices and stockouts for 37 essential drugs from each of the eight study siteson the basis of 52 weeks of prospective data that was collected across sites from May 1, 2020, to Jan 31, 2022. We analysed determinants of medicine access using thematic analysis of academic literature, policy documents, and semi-structured interviews from a purposive sample of health system stakeholders. Recurrent stockouts of a wide range of cytotoxic and supportive care medicines were observed across sites, with highest mean unavailability in Kenya (JOORTH; 48·5%), Rwanda (BCCE; 39·0%), and Tanzania (BMC; 32·2%). Drugs that had frequent stockouts across at least four sites included methotrexate, bleomycin, etoposide, ifosfamide, oral morphine, and allopurinol. Average median price ratio of medicines at each site was within WHO's internationally accepted threshold for efficient procurement (median price ratio ≤1·5). The effect of stockouts on treatment was noted across most sites, with the greatest potential for treatment interruptions in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, retinoblastoma, and acute lymphocytic leukaemia. Policy prioritisation of childhood cancers, health financing and coverage, medicine procurement and supply chain management, and health system infrastructure emerged as four prominent determinants of access when the stratified purposive sample of key informants (n=64) across all four countries (Kenya n=19, Rwanda n=15, Tanzania n=13, and Uganda n=17) was interviewed. Access to childhood cancer medicines across east Africa is marked by gaps in availability that have implications for effective treatment delivery for a range of childhood cancers. Our findings provide detailed evidence of barriers to access to childhood cancer medicine at multiple points in the pharmaceutical value chain. These data could inform national and regional policy makers to optimise cancer medicine availability and affordability as part of efforts to improve childhood cancer outcomes specific regions and internationally. American Childhood Cancer Organization, Childhood Cancer International, and the Friends of Cancer Patients Ameera Fund.

Background In high-income countries (HICs), increased rates of survival among pediatric cancer patients are achieved through the use of protocol-driven treatment. Compared to HICs, differences in infrastructure, supportive care, and human resources, make compliance with protocol-driven treatment challenging in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). For successful implementation of protocol-driven treatment, treatment protocols must be resource-adapted for the LMIC context, and additional supportive tools must be developed to promote protocol compliance. In Tanzania, an LMIC where resource-adapted treatment protocols are available, digital health applications could promote protocol compliance through incorporation of systematic decision support algorithms, reminders and alerts related to patient visits, and up-to-date data for care coordination. However, evidence on the use of digital health applications in improving compliance with protocol-driven treatment for pediatric cancer is limited. This study protocol describes the development and evaluation of a digital health application, called mNavigator, to facilitate compliance with protocol-driven treatment for pediatric cancer in Tanzania. Methods mNavigator is a digital case management system that incorporates nationally-approved and resource-adapted treatment protocols for two pediatric cancers in Tanzania, Burkitt lymphoma and retinoblastoma. mNavigator is developed from an open-source digital health platform, called CommCare, and guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. From July 2019–July 2020 at Bugando Medical Centre in Mwanza, Tanzania, all new pediatric cancer patients will be registered and managed using mNavigator as the new standard of care for patient intake and outcome assessment. Pediatric cancer patients with a clinical diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma or retinoblastoma will be approached for participation in the study evaluating mNavigator. mNavigator users will document pre-treatment and treatment details for study participants using digital forms and checklists that facilitate compliance with protocol-driven treatment. Compliance with treatment protocols using mNavigator will be compared to historical compliance rates as the primary outcome. Throughout the implementation period, we will document factors that facilitate or inhibit mNavigator implementation. Discussion Study findings will inform implementation and scale up of mNavigator in tertiary pediatric cancer facilities in Tanzania, with the goal of facilitating protocol-driven treatment. Trial registration The study protocol was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT03677128 ) on September 19, 2018.

Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs) represent a particularly lethal type of pediatric brain cancer with no effective therapeutic options. Our laboratory has previously reported the development of genetically engineered DIPG mouse models using the RCAS/tv-a system, including a model driven by PDGF-B, H3.3K27M, and p53 loss. These models can serve as a platform in which to test novel therapeutics prior to the initiation of human clinical trials. In this study, an in vitro high-throughput drug screen as part of the DIPG preclinical consortium using cell-lines derived from our DIPG models identified BMS-754807 as a drug of interest in DIPG. BMS-754807 is a potent and reversible small molecule multi-kinase inhibitor with many targets including IGF-1R, IR, MET, TRKA, TRKB, AURKA, AURKB. In vitro evaluation showed significant cytotoxic effects with an IC50 of 0.13 μM, significant inhibition of proliferation at a concentration of 1.5 μM, as well as inhibition of AKT activation. Interestingly, IGF-1R signaling was absent in serum-free cultures from the PDGF-B; H3.3K27M; p53 deficient model suggesting that the antitumor activity of BMS-754807 in this model is independent of IGF-1R. In vivo, systemic administration of BMS-754807 to DIPG-bearing mice did not prolong survival. Pharmacokinetic analysis demonstrated that tumor tissue drug concentrations of BMS-754807 were well below the identified IC50, suggesting that inadequate drug delivery may limit in vivo efficacy. In summary, an unbiased in vitro drug screen identified BMS-754807 as a potential therapeutic agent in DIPG, but BMS-754807 treatment in vivo by systemic delivery did not significantly prolong survival of DIPG-bearing mice.

Background The pediatric patient-reported outcomes version of the common terminology criteria for adverse event measure was developed and validated for use in pediatric cancer clinical trials to better capture the symptom experiences through direct self-report. The study aim was to develop and validate a Swahili language version of the patient-reported outcomes version of the common terminology criteria for adverse event measure. Methods The pediatric version of 15 core symptom adverse events, and the corresponding questions, were selected from the patient-reported outcomes version of the common terminology criteria for adverse event library, then forward and back translated into Swahili by bilingual translators. The translated items were further refined using concurrent cognitive interviewing. Each round of interviews included five children, ages 8–17 years-old, receiving cancer therapy at Bugando Medical Centre, the cancer referral hospital for Northwest Tanzania, and continued until at least 80% of participants understood the question. Results Three rounds of cognitive interviews were completed involving 13 patients and 5 caregivers. Among patients, 50% of questions (19/38) were fully comprehended after the first interview round. Two Adverse Events (anxiety and peripheral neuropathy) were the most difficult for participants to understand, associated with education level and experience. Goal comprehension was achieved after three rounds of interviews with no further revisions required. All parents in the first cognitive interview group comprehended the survey, with no additional revisions. Conclusion A Swahili patient-reported outcomes version of the common terminology criteria for adverse event was effective in eliciting patient-reported Adverse Events related to cancer treatment, with good comprehension for children aged 8–17 years. This survey is important to incorporate patient self-reporting of symptomatic toxicities and is an effective tool to increase capacity for pediatric cancer clinical trials throughout East Africa, further reducing global disparities in cancer care.

There is a 60% survival gap between children diagnosed with cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and those in high-income countries. Low caregiver knowledge about childhood cancer and its treatment results in presentation delays and subsequent treatment abandonment in LMICs. However, in-person education to improve caregiver knowledge can be challenging due to health worker shortages and inadequate training. Due to the rapid expansion of mobile phone use worldwide, mobile health (mHealth) technologies offer an alternative to delivering in-person education. The aim of this study is to assess patterns of mobile phone ownership and use among Tanzanian caregivers of children diagnosed with cancer as well as their acceptability of an mHealth intervention for cancer education, patient communication, and care coordination. In July 2017, caregivers of children <18 years diagnosed with cancer and receiving treatment at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) were surveyed to determine mobile phone ownership, use patterns, technology literacy, and acceptability of mobile phone use for cancer education, patient communication, and care coordination. Descriptive statistics were generated from the survey data by using mean and SD values for continuous variables and percentages for binary or categorical variables. All eligible caregivers consented to participate and completed the survey. Of the 40 caregivers who enrolled in the study, most used a mobile phone (n=34, 85%) and expressed high acceptability in using these devices to communicate with a health care provider regarding treatment support (n=39, 98%), receiving laboratory results (n=37, 93%), receiving reminders for upcoming appointments (n=38, 95%), and receiving educational information on cancer (n=35, 88%). Although only 9% (3/34) of mobile phone owners owned phones with smartphone capabilities, about 74% (25/34) self-reported they could view and read SMS text messages. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess patterns of mobile phone ownership and use among caregivers of children with cancer in Tanzania. The high rate of mobile phone ownership and caregiver acceptability for a mobile phone-based education and communication strategy suggests that a mobile phone-based intervention, particularly one that utilizes SMS technology, could be feasible in this setting.

Throughout the Weimar Republic, the modern realist painters associated with the New Objectivity explored the effects of surface materiality and psychological detachment as they depicted the popular social type of the New Woman looking sachlich-sober, sporty, practical, and functionally dressed. The fashionable surfaces of Lotte Laserstein's New Woman pictures provide an opportunity to reevaluate Neue Sachlichkeit painting, which has historically centered on the male painters Otto Dix, Christian Schad, George Grosz, and Anton Räderscheidt. Laserstein emphasizes the sensuousness of clothing and corporeality to portray the New Woman as an embodied subject who negotiated the conditions of Weimar modernity.

TheNorth Carolina Children's Global Health Handbookoffers a resource and guide for residents and healthcare providers teaching pediatrics in the developing world, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. Incorporating World Health Organization guidelines as laid out in the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) this handbook is geared for medical education of students and interns. It is intended for residents and providers from foreign institutions visiting developing countries but also may be used by local staff. The volume does not provide an exhaustive list of pediatric conditions nor an in-depth explanation of conditions. Rather, the handbook is meant to provide an easily accessible reference for healthcare educators and providers and should not replace local guidelines or clinical judgement.Major topics: emergency management, neonatal period, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, genetics, hematology & oncology, infectious diseases, nephrology, respiratory, testing resources, and immunization schedules

Deogratias M Katabalo,1,2 Esther Njile,1 Benson R Kidenya,3 Anthony Cuthbert Liwa,4 Kristin Schroeder2,5 1Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza, Tanzania; 2Department of Oncology, Bugando Medical Center, Mwanza, Tanzania; 3Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza, Tanzania; 4Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza, Tanzania; 5Global Health Institute, Duke University, Raleigh, NC, USACorrespondence: Deogratias M Katabalo, Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, P.O. Box 1464, Mwanza, 33102, Tanzania, Email dkatabalo@gmail.comBackground: Chemotherapy remains the cornerstone of pediatric cancer treatment, yet its cytotoxic nature often results in chemotherapy-induced toxicities, adverse effects arising from damage to healthy, rapidly dividing cells. Data describing these toxicities from the patient and caregiver perspective are scarce in sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed the types, severity, and determinants of Chemotherapy-Induced Toxicities among pediatric cancer patients in Tanzania.Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted over six months at Bugando Medical Center. Pediatric patients aged birth to 18 years receiving chemotherapy were enrolled. Toxicities were assessed using a locally validated, Swahili-translated version of the Pediatric Patient-Reported Outcomes Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events tool. Children aged ≥ 7 years self-reported their symptoms, while caregivers provided proxy reports for younger children and those who can not express themselves. Associations between chemotherapy-induced toxicities and demographic or treatment variables were analysed using multivariate logistic regression to adjust for potential confounding factors or variables (p < 0.05).Results: Of 120 participants (55.8% male), all experienced at least one Chemotherapy-Induced Toxicity, with a mean of five per participant. The most common toxicities were alopecia (82.5%), taste changes (74.2%), vomiting (44.2%), and nausea (35%). Most events were mild (grade 1). In multivariable analysis, cancer classification was the only significant predictor of toxicity, with solid tumors showing higher odds of ≥ Grade 2 Chemotherapy-induced toxicities compared with hematologic cancers (AOR = 7.42, p = 0.047). Other factors showed no statistically significant associations.Conclusion: Chemotherapy-induced toxicities were frequent, with most children experiencing multiple symptoms across organ systems. Cancer classification was the only factor significantly associated with higher-grade toxicities. Integrating child- and caregiver-reported outcome measures into pediatric oncology practice could enhance early identification of toxicities, support timely management, and inform national strategies to improve treatment safety and quality of life for children with cancer in Tanzania.Keywords: chemotherapy-induced toxicities, pediatric cancer, patient-reported outcomes, Tanzania, vincristine