Backed by a Conquer Cancer, ASCO Grant, Dr. Mailhot Works to Advance Global Cancer Care
In 2020, Raymond Mailhot, MD, MPH, was awarded the Global Oncology Young Investigator Award (GO YIA) from Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation. With this grant, Dr. Mailhot and his team—including collaborators at the Mexican Society for Radiation Oncology—researched how to best improve radiotherapy access for pediatric cancer patients in Latin American countries, especially those with hematologic cancers, such as Hodgkin lymphoma.
Compared to other types of blood cancers, this disease has a relatively favorable prognosis, with most patients ultimately becoming survivors. However, radiation treatment for blood cancers is notoriously taxing on patients—both during and long after the process—especially for children with Hodgkin lymphoma.
Dr. Mailhot Hopes to Continue Tapping Into Cultural Heritage
Dr. Mailhot’s family heritage originates in Honduras, and with this cultural background in mind, he has a passion for cancer research and care for people in Latin American countries and particularly younger populations. Often low- to middle-income countries, like some in Latin America, lack resources and specialized knowledge to treat pediatric patients diagnosed with cancer. Most children in this situation are treated by general radiation oncologists and not those specializing in pediatric care. This can lead to taxing side effects during and long after treatment.
Research in Mexico
Dr. Mailhot’s research focused on how to successfully target lymphoma while ensuring that patients and survivors are affected with minimal risk for side effects or relapse.
“If healthcare systems in low- to mid-income countries don't know what their current capacity is for pediatric cancer care, they may face difficulties with deciding how best to allocate resources and intervene with specialized provider instruction and continuing medical education for informing how best to treat young patients,” Dr. Mailhot said.
Dr. Mailhot and his team—including collaborators at the Mexican Society of Radiation Oncologists—evaluated the current capacity of pediatric radiotherapy in Mexico while also reviewing whether more medical education could improve provider knowledge on targeting common pediatric cancers with radiation therapy, like Hodgkin lymphoma. Researchers asked the providers what common challenges they faced when treating pediatric cancer patients and what pediatric cancers were the most challenging to treat. Based on their responses, Dr. Mailhot and his team developed a framework of treatment plans designed to help address these difficulties.
Backed by the new findings, Dr. Mailhot conducted specialized training for nearly 300 providers. “We were able to show what Mexican radiation oncologists described as their main challenges, including their relationships to ancillary services, like neurocognitive support for young patients,” he explained. “Approximately 25% of radiation oncologists who had seen children the prior year noted they did not feel comfortable treating a pediatric patient,” he added. It was noted after training that the providers felt much more comfortable treating pediatric patients.
“Routine workshops and teaching sessions can be useful tools for pediatric cancer care systems in countries like Mexico to help ensure practitioners are up to date on the latest treatment recommendations.”
Global Cancer Care
Dr. Mailhot hopes to continue expanding his research through key partnerships and grants, advancing global cancer care, especially for pediatric patients.
After his research was published in the Journal of Global Oncology, physician-scientists from both Colombia and Saudi Arabia reached out to Dr. Mailhot about the potential for conducting a survey of Colombian and Saudi Arabian radiotherapy capacity for children with cancer. These promising partnerships reflect the ripple effect of investing in global oncology research.
Find out more about Dr. Mailhot's research in this Q&A article.