AUTHOR=Mushtaq Naureen , Qureshi Bilal Mazhar , Javed Gohar , Sheikh Nabeel Ashfaque , Bakhshi Saqib Kamran , Laghari Altaf Ali , Enam Syed Ather , Anwar Shayan Sirat Maheen , Hilal Kiran , Kabir Arsalan , Ahmad Alia , Goraya Amber , Mistry Anum Salman , Rashid Aqeela , Maaz Ata Ur Rehman , Munawar Muhammad Atif , Khan Atiq Ahmed , Bashir Farrah , Hashmi Hina , Saeed Kamran , Khandwala Kumail , Rehman Lal , Dewan Michael C. , Khan Muhammad Saghir , Karim Muneeb uddin , Shaheen Najma , Zia Nida , Yasmeen Nuzhat , Mahmood Raheela , Memon Riaz Ahmed Raja , Kirmani Salman , Resham Shahzadi , Kadri Shazia , Riaz Shazia , Hamid Syed Ahmer , Ghafoor Tariq , Imam Uzma , Mushtaq Yaseen Rauf , Rana Zulfiqar Ali , Bouffet Eric , Minhas Khurram 

TITLE=Capacity building for pediatric neuro-oncology in Pakistan- a project by my child matters program of Foundation S

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2024.1325167

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2024.1325167

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=Initiated in June 2019, this collaborative effort involving 15 public and private sector hospitals in Pakistan aimed to bolster the capacity for pediatric neuro-oncology (PNO) care. Supported by a My Child Matters/Foundation S grant, the initiative achieved significant milestones. It established multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTB) in three different regions of Pakistan, conducting 124 meetings and discussing 545 cases. Over 40 longitudinal lectures were organized to enrich the knowledge, awareness, and expertise of healthcare professionals in PNO care. Two symposia, featuring international collaborators and keynote speakers, sought to raise national awareness of PNO. The initiative led to the development of standardized national treatment protocols for lowgrade glioma, medulloblastoma, and high-grade glioma, with additional protocols currently under development. The launch of Pakistan's first pediatric neuro-oncology fellowship program produced two graduates, increasing the number of trained pediatric neuro-oncologists in the country to three. Efforts are underway to establish a national case registry for PNO. This project exemplifies the potential for capacity building in PNO within low-middle income countries and the success of intranational twinning programs.