Advanced Radiotherapy Across a Multi‐Geography Referral Network for Children With Ewing Sarcoma and Rhabdomyosarcoma: Treatment Delivery and Early Outcomes—A Single‐Centre Experience

BACKGROUND: Children with Ewing sarcoma (ES) and rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) across Asia, the Middle East and Africa often require cross-border referral for advanced radiotherapy, risking a disruption of multimodality care. We evaluated whether a structured referral network could deliver advanced radiotherapy while preserving treatment continuity. METHODS: This retrospective single-centre study included 54 consecutive children (27 ES, 27 RMS) treated in India between 2019 and 2025, referred from 13 countries and 11 Indian states. Primary endpoints were radiotherapy completion, treatment interruptions, chemotherapy continuity, treatment abandonment and follow-up retention. Survival outcomes were secondary endpoints. RESULTS: Median age was 7 years (range, 1-18), and 87% received proton beam therapy. All patients completed planned radiotherapy; interruptions occurred in only three patients, all ≤4 days. There was no treatment abandonment, and loss to follow-up was 2%. Planned chemotherapy was completed in all patients, with shared delivery between referring and treating centres in 80%. Median time from chemotherapy initiation to radiotherapy was 23.3 weeks for ES and 17.7 weeks for RMS. Among patients receiving definitive radiotherapy, treatment began within 15 weeks of chemotherapy start in 72% of ES and 88% of RMS patients. After radiotherapy, 63% resumed chemotherapy within 14 days and 78% within 21 days. Three-year overall survival and progression-free survival were 89.7% and 55.0% for ES (100% and 66.4% in localised disease) and 82.5% and 69.7% for RMS (90.0% and 74.2% in localised disease). CONCLUSIONS: In a single-centre cohort of children referred across state and national borders, a structured referral network enabled the delivery of advanced radiotherapy while preserving multimodality treatment continuity. Although survival outcomes are descriptive and derived from a selected cohort, this model may inform access strategies in regions without local advanced radiotherapy capability.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Pediatric Blood & Cancer
Published
2026-09-10
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/1545-5017.70657
Primary Topic
Sarcoma Diagnosis and Treatment
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Advanced Radiotherapy Across a Multi‐Geography Referral Network for Children With Ewing Sarcoma and Rhabdomyosarcoma: Treatment Delivery and Early Outcomes—A Single‐Centre Experience

Revathi Raj, Vishnu Ramanujan, Rakesh Jalali, Ramya Uppuluri et al.
Pediatric Blood & Cancer
Sarcoma Diagnosis and Treatment
article

Advanced Radiotherapy Across a Multi‐Geography Referral Network for Children With Ewing Sarcoma and Rhabdomyosarcoma: Treatment Delivery and Early Outcomes—A Single‐Centre Experience

Revathi Raj, Vishnu Ramanujan, Rakesh Jalali, Ramya Uppuluri, Srinivas Chilukuri, Abhilasha Sinha, Radhakrishnan Satheesan, Anand Murugesan, D. Indumathi, Prashant Jawahar, Sham Sundar, Godson Samuel, Dhilipkumar Rajan
article en

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Children with Ewing sarcoma (ES) and rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) across Asia, the Middle East and Africa often require cross-border referral for advanced radiotherapy, risking a disruption of multimodality care. We evaluated whether a structured referral network could deliver advanced radiotherapy while preserving treatment continuity. METHODS: This retrospective single-centre study included 54 consecutive children (27 ES, 27 RMS) treated in India between 2019 and 2025, referred from 13 countries and 11 Indian states. Primary endpoints were radiotherapy completion, treatment interruptions, chemotherapy continuity, treatment abandonment and follow-up retention. Survival outcomes were secondary endpoints. RESULTS: Median age was 7 years (range, 1-18), and 87% received proton beam therapy. All patients completed planned radiotherapy; interruptions occurred in only three patients, all ≤4 days. There was no treatment abandonment, and loss to follow-up was 2%. Planned chemotherapy was completed in all patients, with shared delivery between referring and treating centres in 80%. Median time from chemotherapy initiation to radiotherapy was 23.3 weeks for ES and 17.7 weeks for RMS. Among patients receiving definitive radiotherapy, treatment began within 15 weeks of chemotherapy start in 72% of ES and 88% of RMS patients. After radiotherapy, 63% resumed chemotherapy within 14 days and 78% within 21 days. Three-year overall survival and progression-free survival were 89.7% and 55.0% for ES (100% and 66.4% in localised disease) and 82.5% and 69.7% for RMS (90.0% and 74.2% in localised disease). CONCLUSIONS: In a single-centre cohort of children referred across state and national borders, a structured referral network enabled the delivery of advanced radiotherapy while preserving multimodality treatment continuity. Although survival outcomes are descriptive and derived from a selected cohort, this model may inform access strategies in regions without local advanced radiotherapy capability.

Pediatric Blood & Cancer
Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (IN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Sarcoma Diagnosis and Treatment
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.