Magnitude of Treatment Abandonment in Childhood Cancer

Paola Friedrich, Catherine G Lam, Elena Itriago, Rafael Perez, Raul C Ribeiro and Ramandeep S Arora

PLOS ONE, 2015, vol. 10, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: Background: Treatment abandonment (TxA) is recognized as a leading cause of treatment failure for children with cancer in low-and-middle-income countries (LMC). However, its global frequency and burden have remained elusive due to lack of global data. This study aimed to obtain an estimate using survey and population data. Methods: Childhood cancer clinicians (medical oncologists, surgeons, and radiation therapists), nurses, social workers, and psychologists involved in care of children with cancer were approached through an online survey February-May 2012. Incidence and population data were obtained from public sources. Descriptive, univariable, and multivariable analyses were conducted. Results: 602 responses from 101 countries were obtained from physicians (84%), practicing pediatric hematology/oncology (83%) in general or children’s hospitals (79%). Results suggested, 23,854 (15%) of 155,088 children 6% were outside the capital. Lower national income category, higher reliance on out-of-pocket payments, and high prevalence of economic hardship at the center were independent contextual predictors for TxA ≥6% (p

Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0135230

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135230

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