Image used for representation only.
Doha, Qatar: In a significant development for paediatric healthcare in Qatar, Sidra Medicine has launched a Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Service (PNOS). This pioneering project has been initiated to streamline the diagnosis and ensure the high-quality management of children diagnosed with central nervous system tumours.
“The new paediatric neuro-oncology service that was launched at Sidra Medicine is another integral multidisciplinary service for children and young people with malignant brain and spinal cord tumours. The service is led by cutting-edge neurosurgery capabilities, radiation oncology and supported by detailed anatomical pathology and molecular diagnostics,” Division Chief from the Oncology and Hematology Division, at Sidra Medicine, Dr. Ayman Saleh told The Peninsula.
“The service is an extension of our comprehensive cancer care and research programme to help advance treatment, cure and enhance the chances of survival for children with brain or spinal cord tumors,” he added.
September is the childhood cancer awareness month and worldwide, the incidence rates of childhood cancer range between 50 and 200 per million children. In Qatar, according to 2019 data, the paediatric cancer rate is 126 per million children.
“At Sidra Medicine, we see and treat most of paediatric cancer cases in Qatar and around 70-80 newly diagnosed children every year,” said Dr. Saleh.
“Our patient population at Sidra Medicine primarily consists of individuals of Arab and Asian descent, making up 60 percent and 32 percent of our patients, respectively. The most prevalent diagnoses are leukemia (33%), and 67% solid tumours among which central nervous system malignancies (32%), followed by lymphoma (16%), germ cell tumours (10%), neuroblastoma (10%), bone tumours (9%) sarcomas (7%),” he added.
The theme for this year’s childhood cancer awareness month, “Better Survival” reflects the substantial progress that has been made in the field of paediatric oncology.
Since opening its main hospital in 2018, Sidra Medicine has become the country’s sole healthcare provider for the care and treatment of children and young people with cancer.
“To support our personalised medicine strategy, we initiated the Sidra Medicine Paediatric Precision Oncology Programme, which works closely with our paediatric cancer services. This close synergy between our clinical and research divisions grants us a comprehensive understanding of our patients’ characteristics and epidemiology,” said Dr. Wouter Hendrickx, Lead Principal Investigator of the Paediatric Precision Oncology Programme at Sidra Medicine.
“Our clinical and research collaboration also saw the birth of two important assets - the Paediatric Cancer Registry and The Sidra Paediatric Cancer Biorepository (SPCB). The former collects comprehensive clinical data, while the latter seeks consent from patients to donate materials no longer needed for diagnosis, thus enabling pertinent research for our local population,” he added. According to Dr. Hendrickx programmes at Sidra Medicine will empower paediatric patients to benefit from the seismic shift in cancer treatment, led by targeted and immunotherapy trials. This deeper understanding of patients’ tumours - exploring genetic determinants, immune phenotypes, mutational load, or intratumoral heterogeneity - gives us insights into adapting groundbreaking therapies for paediatric patients.
“Our approach to cancer care and research can play a monumental role in identifying treatment targets and contributing to the development of newer, more effective drugs and treatment protocols. This is the potential of medical research and progress in the realm of paediatric oncology,” he said.
