PAEDIATRIC-15 MANAGEMENT OF PEDIATRIC CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM TUMORS BY A NEURO-ONCOLOGY MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM : OUR EXPERIENCE

The outcome of pediatric central nervous system tumors has improved over the past decades due to advances in diagnostic testing, treatment and increased understanding of the disease biology. Nevertheless, the probability of survival of this tumors remains much lower in low-to middle-income countries. The gaps that prevent optimal clinical management of brain tumors are multifactorial and mostly related to underdiagnosis; a lack of specialized and dedicated radiologic, histopathologic, neurosurgical, radiotherapeutic, and oncology services, and a deficiency of coordinated multidisciplinary care in many centers. The aim of this report was to evaluate the impact of multidisciplinary team meetings on the clinical management of pediatric central nervous system tumors in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire). We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of pediatric patients (aged <15 years) with central nervous system tumors diagnosed and treated in the Neurosurgery Department and National Center of Radiotherapy between 2019 (the year a neuro-oncological multidisciplinary staff was established) and 2023. Data on patient demographics, clinical notes, imaging studies, tumor characteristics and multidisciplinary team decision were collected from the multidisciplinary team database. During the multidisciplinary team meetings era, 40 pediatric central nervous system tumors were diagnosed and treated. The median age at diagnosis was 8.5 years. The mostly histological types were high grade and low grade gliomas. Decision-making was largely consistent with available guidelines. Therapeutic were surgery, external beam radiation treatment with concurrent and adjuvant chemotherapy. Benefits of neuro-oncology multidisciplinary team include coordination, direction for complicated cases, education, and a forum for communication, and clinical trials.