The Pakistan Society of Pediatric Oncology (PSPO) is leading efforts to improve pediatric cancer treatment and survival in Pakistan, supported by Pakistan’s designation as a WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) focus country.

Significant progress has been made, including the launch of national pediatric cancer trials targeting six key cancers, aimed at standardizing therapy, collecting baseline data, and establishing research and data-management infrastructure. By September 2024, PSPO had entered data for over 2,000 patients with the help of nine trained data managers deployed across 11 centers. The project underscores PSPO’s commitment to advancing pediatric oncology research, with an overarching goal of significantly enhancing childhood cancer outcomes.

A central component of these efforts is the development and implementation of a national hospital-based cancer registry for pediatric cancers in Pakistan with support from the SIOP PARC Programme. This registry seeks to establish a centralized database and infrastructure to enable detailed tracking of cancer staging, treatment, and outcomes. The initiative concurrently focuses on capacity building through training specialized research personnel, hiring additional staff to ensure smooth implementation, and providing education to enhance childhood cancer research capabilities. By gradually scaling the registry to include more granular data, this project aims to serve as a sustainable foundation for longitudinal research while empowering hospitals with data management resources.

These efforts, supported by the SIOP PARC Programme, and in collaboration with Pakistan’s  Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination, WHO, and St. Jude Global, will strengthen Pakistan’s pediatric oncology infrastructure and research capacity.