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Access to specialized pediatric cancer care in Switzerland

Martin Adam1, Nicolas von der Weid, Gisela Michel

  • 1Swiss Childhood Cancer Registry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Pediatric Blood & Cancer
|January 29, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Approximately one in six children with cancer in Switzerland did not receive care at a specialized pediatric cancer center (PCC). This highlights potential gaps in state-of-the-art pediatric cancer treatment access.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Cancer Epidemiology
  • Healthcare Access

Background:

  • Specialized pediatric cancer centers (PCCs) are crucial for advanced childhood cancer care.
  • Understanding treatment patterns outside PCCs is essential for improving outcomes.
  • This study investigates the extent of care provided outside PCCs in Switzerland.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the proportion of childhood cancer patients not treated in a PCC.
  • To characterize these patients and their treatment locations.
  • To identify trends in PCC utilization over time.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Swiss Childhood Cancer Registry (SCCR) and regional cancer registries.
  • Employed specialized software for record linkage between registries.
  • Analyzed data for children under 16 diagnosed with primary malignant tumors between 1990 and 2004 in specific Swiss regions.

Main Results:

  • 22.1% of regional cancer patients were not registered in the SCCR, indicating they were not treated in a PCC.
  • 15.7% of patients never received care at a PCC, while 6.4% had data flow issues.
  • Higher proportions of patients treated outside PCCs were observed for bone/soft tissue sarcomas, epithelial neoplasms, and older children.

Conclusions:

  • A significant minority of childhood cancer patients in Switzerland receive care outside specialized centers.
  • The proportion of children treated in PCCs increased over the study period.
  • Further research is needed to ascertain if treatment outside PCCs impacts patient outcomes.
Abstract

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