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ONCOPEDS: A NOVEL MOBILE APPLICATION FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND REFERRALS IN CHILDHOOD CANCER
  • +15
  • Liliana Vasquez,
  • Jacqueline Montoya,
  • Cecilia Ugaz,
  • Ligia Rios,
  • Esmeralda Leon,
  • Ivan Maza,
  • ESSY MARADIEGUE,
  • Sharon Chavez,
  • Fanny Tarrillo,
  • Rosdali Diaz,
  • Ninoska Rojas,
  • Claudia Pascual,
  • Mariela Tello,
  • Carla Moore,
  • Darshi Shah,
  • Bernardette Cotrina,
  • Juan Bartolo,
  • Victor Palacios
Liliana Vasquez
Pan American Health Organization; Lima, PerĂº

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Jacqueline Montoya
Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas
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Cecilia Ugaz
Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas
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Ligia Rios
Rebagliati Hospital
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Esmeralda Leon
Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara
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Ivan Maza
Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins
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ESSY MARADIEGUE
Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas
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Sharon Chavez
Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas
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Fanny Tarrillo
Rebagliati Hospital
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Rosdali Diaz
Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas
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Ninoska Rojas
Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins
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Claudia Pascual
Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara
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Mariela Tello
Instituto Nacional de Salud del Nino San Borja
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Carla Moore
Instituto Nacional de Salud del Nino San Borja
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Darshi Shah
Boston University
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Bernardette Cotrina
Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion
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Juan Bartolo
ESSALUD
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Victor Palacios
Peruvian State Ministry of Health
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Abstract

Background The diagnostic delay in children and adolescents with cancer is a public health problem in Peru leading to high rates of advanced disease and mortality. We aimed to evaluate the implementation and utility of ONCOpeds, a mobile application that provides consultations, in reducing the latency to diagnosis (LD) and referral time (RT) in children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer in Peru. Material and methods A multicenter pilot study was conducted in the region of Callao between November 2017 and April 2018. Attending primary care physicians were trained in the use of ONCOpeds in 5 educational sessions. Patients younger than 18 years living in Callao and diagnosed with cancer from all the pediatric cancer units were analyzed in two groups: referred by the mobile application or by the conventional referral. Results ONCOpeds was successfully installed in the smartphone devices of 78 attending physicians of Callao. During this period, 23 new cases of cancer in children and adolescents from Callao were collected. Ten patients were referred through the application and 13 in a conventional manner. The LD and RT were reduced in the group referred by ONCOpeds by 66% and 68%, respectively; however, only the RT reached statistical significance (p = 0.02). Conclusions The implementation of the use of ONCOpeds was feasible in this pilot study, having a potential utility in improving the diagnosis and referral in children and adolescents with suspected cancer. A larger study at the national level is required to demonstrate the effectiveness of this telemedicine tool.
07 Jun 2020Submission Checks Completed
07 Jun 2020Assigned to Editor
07 Jun 2020Submitted to Pediatric Blood & Cancer
09 Jun 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
14 Jul 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
14 Jul 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Major
12 Oct 2020Submission Checks Completed
12 Oct 2020Assigned to Editor
12 Oct 20201st Revision Received
15 Oct 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
05 Nov 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
08 Nov 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Major
01 Dec 20202nd Revision Received
01 Dec 2020Submission Checks Completed
01 Dec 2020Assigned to Editor
03 Dec 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
30 Dec 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
31 Dec 2020Editorial Decision: Accept