Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
East Mediterr Health J. 2020 Nov 11;26(11):1355-1362. doi: 10.26719/emhj.20.020.
Travel burden has a substantial psychosocial impact and financial strain on childhood cancer patients and their families.
To study the geographic distribution of childhood cancer and assess the travel burden for care in Saudi Arabia.
This was a cross-sectional multi-institutional study that enrolled 1657 children with cancer who were diagnosed between 2011 and 2014. Cancer type/stage, city/region of residence, and city/region of treating centre were recorded. Travel burden was measured based on a 1-way distance in kilometres from the city centre to the treatment institution. This study was supported by Sanad Children's Cancer Support Association.
Diagnosis was leukaemia (45.2%), non-CNS solid tumours (30.2%), lymphoma (12.3%), CNS tumours (11.8%) and histiocytosis (0.5%). Childhood cancer centres were in the same city as where the patients lived in 652 (39.3%) cases, same region but different city in 308 (18.6%), different regions in 613 (37%), and not known in 84 (5.1%). The mean 1-way travel distance for patients who lived in different regions was 790 (range, 116-1542) km. A total of 536 (32%) patients lived ≥ 400 km and 216 (13%) > 1000 km from the treatment centre. Among 642 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who required 2-3 years of therapy, 197 (31%) lived ≥ 400 km and 94 (15%) >1000 km from the treatment centre.
Nearly two thirds of patients with childhood cancer lived in different cities than the treatment centres, including one third of patients who lived ≥ 400 km away. There is a need to develop strategies to improve access to childhood cancer care.
旅行负担会对儿童癌症患者及其家庭造成重大的心理社会影响和经济压力。
研究儿童癌症的地理分布，并评估在沙特阿拉伯的治疗旅行负担。
这是一项横断面多机构研究，纳入了 1657 名 2011 年至 2014 年间确诊的癌症患儿。记录了癌症类型/分期、居住的城市/地区和治疗中心的城市/地区。根据从市中心到治疗机构的单程距离来衡量旅行负担。本研究由 Sanad 儿童癌症支持协会资助。
诊断结果为白血病（45.2%）、非中枢神经系统实体瘤（30.2%）、淋巴瘤（12.3%）、中枢神经系统肿瘤（11.8%）和组织细胞增生症（0.5%）。儿童癌症中心与患者居住地在同一城市的有 652 例（39.3%），同一地区但不同城市的有 308 例（18.6%），不同地区的有 613 例（37%），84 例（5.1%）未知。居住在不同地区的患者的平均单程旅行距离为 790 公里（范围为 116-1542 公里）。共有 536 名（32%）患者居住在离治疗中心 400 公里以上的地方，216 名（13%）患者居住在 1000 公里以上的地方。在需要 2-3 年治疗的 642 名急性淋巴细胞白血病患者中，有 197 名（31%）居住在离治疗中心 400 公里以上的地方，有 94 名（15%）居住在 1000 公里以上的地方。
近三分之二的儿童癌症患者居住在与治疗中心不同的城市，其中三分之一的患者居住在 400 公里以上的地方。有必要制定战略，改善儿童癌症治疗的可及性。
