title: [Managing pain in children with cancer in Africa: a survey from the French-African Pediatric Oncology group].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The French-African Pediatric Oncology group (GFAOP) has contributed to a significant improvement in the prognosis of pediatric cancers in Africa through the development of therapeutic protocols adapted to local conditions. In parallel, the development of supportive care such as pain management, is now a major priority of our group.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The main objective of this study was to evaluate the management of pain in children with cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was sent to both the doctor and nurse responsible for each of the 8 pilot units (PUs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  All physicians and 2 nurses answered the questionnaire. Human resources (3 doctors and 4 nurses per PU) were modest compared to the size of the pediatric population (71 million) and the mean number of 102 cases of cancer/year per PU. Only six physicians had received specific training in pediatric oncology. Morphine was available in only 5 of the 8 PUs; major limitations for its prescription were mainly inconsistent availability (62.5%), fear of side effects (50%), and regulations (37.5%). During the curative phase, more than half of the parents had to buy analgesics when leaving the PU. Pain assessment relied mainly on clinical evaluation (8/8), but was generally concordant with parents' assessment. The majority of patients experienced pain at diagnosis and at a higher degree at relapse, cancer being the predominant etiology. Pain related to other causes such as medical procedures, mucositis, and neuropathic pain was detected; however, its management remained inadequate. Only 2 of 8 PUs had a written protocol for pain management. These deficiencies can be explained by limited resources, both human and financial, but also by cultural factors such as endurance against pain still advocated by many African traditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In recent years, pain prevention and relief, whatever its origin, have become a priority for all medical teams, especially for children with cancer. With its profound sociocultural changes, Africa is no exception. All teams in our group are aware of the situation and hope for major improvement in pain management in the near future through increased resources and training.
authors: Service de pédiatrie, hôpital de Treichville, CHU de Treichville, BPV3, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. attebyjj9@gmail.com
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Yao
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Coze
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Traoré
authors: N
authors: N
authors: André
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Moreira
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Pondy
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Randriamihoatra
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Bouda
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Lukamba
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Koffi
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Harif
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D002648:Child; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D059408:Pain Management; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires