Childhood Cancer Early Diagnosis and Appropriate Referral: An Educational Initiative of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), in Collaboration With International Pediatric Association

Muhammad Saghir Khan; Claudia Sampor; Mychelle Farmer; Neil Ranasinghe; Elizabeth Sniderman; Maya Prasad; Trisha Soosay Raj; Rashmi Dalvi; Joyce Balagadde Kambugu; Reineke A Schoot; Daniel C Moreira; Erin Christine Peckham-Gregory; Julia Challinor; Lorena Segovia Weber; Aman Pulungan; Guillermo Chantada; Susanne Wollaert; Anelia Atanasova; Rejin Kebudi; Enver Hasanoglu; Naveen Thacker; Kathy Pritchard-Jones

doi:10.1002/pbc.31702

Childhood Cancer Early Diagnosis and Appropriate Referral: An Educational Initiative of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), in Collaboration With International Pediatric Association

Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2025 Jul;72(7):e31702. doi: 10.1002/pbc.31702. Epub 2025 Apr 8.

Authors

Muhammad Saghir Khan^{1

2}, Claudia Sampor^{3

4}, Mychelle Farmer^{5

6

7}, Neil Ranasinghe⁸, Elizabeth Sniderman⁹, Maya Prasad^{10

11}, Trisha Soosay Raj^{12

13}, Rashmi Dalvi^{14

15}, Joyce Balagadde Kambugu¹⁶, Reineke A Schoot¹⁷, Daniel C Moreira¹⁸, Erin Christine Peckham-Gregory¹⁹, Julia Challinor²⁰, Lorena Segovia Weber¹⁸, Aman Pulungan²¹, Guillermo Chantada^{4

22

23}, Susanne Wollaert²⁴, Anelia Atanasova²⁵, Rejin Kebudi^{26

27}, Enver Hasanoglu^{28

29}, Naveen Thacker^{30

31}, Kathy Pritchard-Jones³²

Affiliations

¹ Co-Chair, Global Health Network, International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP), Geneva, Switzerland.
² Department of Pediatrics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Al Madinah Al Munawarrah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Clinical Studies Coordinator, Grupo America Latina de Oncologia Pediatrica (GALOP), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
⁴ Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.
⁵ NCD Child Task Force on Essential Medicines and Equipment, NCD Child, Itasca, Illinois, USA.
⁶ Advancing Synergy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
⁷ Co-Chair, Strategic Advisory Group on Non-Communicable Disease (NCD), International Pediatric Association (IPA), Marengo, Illinois, USA.
⁸ Global Health Network, International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), Geneva, Switzerland.
⁹ Northern Alberta Children's Cancer Program, Stollery Children's Hospital, Edmonton, Canada.
¹⁰ Division of Paediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
¹¹ Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
¹² Oncology Services Group, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Australia.
¹³ Children's Health Queensland Clinical Unit, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
¹⁴ Bombay Hospital Institute of Medical Sciences and SRCC Children's Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
¹⁵ Advocacy Chair, International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), Geneva, Switzerland.
¹⁶ Division of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Uganda Cancer Institute, Kampala, Uganda.
¹⁷ Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands.
¹⁸ Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
¹⁹ Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.
²⁰ School of Nursing, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
²¹ Child Health Department, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia.
²² Fundación Pérez Scremini, Montevideo, Uruguay.
²³ President, International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), Geneva, Switzerland.
²⁴ Chief Executive Officer, International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), Geneva, Switzerland.
²⁵ Administrative Coordinator, International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), Geneva, Switzerland.
²⁶ Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Oncology Institute, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
²⁷ Secretary General, International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), Geneva, Switzerland.
²⁸ International Pediatric Association, Marengo, Illinois, USA.
²⁹ Turkish National Pediatric Society, Ankara, Turkey.
³⁰ Deep Children Hospital and Research Centre, Gandhidham, India.
³¹ President, International Pediatric Association (IPA), Marengo, Illinois, USA.
³² Developmental Biology and Cancer Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.

PMID: 40200423
DOI: 10.1002/pbc.31702

Abstract

A long pre-diagnostic interval is reported to be a significant challenge in childhood cancer, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where advanced-stage disease at diagnosis results in poor survival. The International Society of Paediatric Oncology and the International Pediatric Association launched the "Childhood Cancer Early Diagnosis and Appropriate Referral (CEDAR)" project in 2022 as educational webinars on the six index childhood cancers of the World Health Organization Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer to improve awareness of healthcare providers (HCP). Pediatricians, family practitioners, and community nurses involved in diagnostic workups and patient referrals participated (n = 2737). Webinar attendance indicated strong HCP global engagement overall.

Keywords: Childhood cancers; early diagnosis; education; low‐resource settings.

MeSH terms

Child
Early Detection of Cancer*
Female
Health Personnel* / education
Humans
Male
Medical Oncology* / education
Neoplasms* / diagnosis
Pediatrics* / education
Referral and Consultation*
Societies, Medical