Will there be a National Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Network?

The authorities of the Polish Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology summarized a meeting of representatives of the pediatric oncology and hematology community with Izabela Leszczyna. Among the topics discussed, an important place was given to the issue of establishing a National Network of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology and a Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Registry integrated with it.

As experts emphasize, the establishment of the network has the potential to spread the model of organization of comprehensive oncological care for childhood cancers,
and the maintenance of an integrated organ registry will allow the collection and optimal management of high-quality data. It is worth remembering that pediatric cancers are a group of rare conditions that are distinctly different from adult cancers, so the data associated with them require appropriate administration. The proposed solutions have the potential to significantly contribute to the increase in the number of cured children, thanks to an increase in the effectiveness of the therapies used, as well as the development of knowledge and new therapeutic pathways.

Minister Izabela Leszczyna assured that the ministry is currently working on a draft regulation introducing the discussed solutions. She also decided,
that the tools being developed should be managed by the Polish Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology. The exact date of implementation of the registry is not yet known.
As Konrad Korbinski, director of the Department of Coordinated Care at the Ministry of Health, announced during a meeting of the Standing Subcommittee on Oncology on December 5, 2024, next year the ministry plans to deal with organizing and streamlining the functioning of existing registries. A Central Platform of Medical Registries will be created to standardize data collection procedures, ensure high quality, and unify access to data. New registries will also be created.

- That there is a need to create new registries is obvious. [...] We would like to come out next year with an initiative and talks regarding the creation of a Central Platform of Medical Registries, where we would have the possibility of creating sub-registries in a way that not only unifies the quality and format of this data, but also access to it. Here we are open to this," said Konrad Korbinski, director of the Department of Coordinated Care at the Ministry of Health.

The meeting with Minister of Health Izabela Leszczyna was a milestone in improving the quality of oncological care for children in Poland, said Prof. Wojciech Mlynarski, MD, chairman of the Polish Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology. - The creation of the National Children's Oncology and Hematology Network and the integrated organ registry are extremely necessary initiatives that can significantly increase the quality and effectiveness of cancer treatment in children. For years, our community has emphasized the need for coordinated care and the collection of precise data, which are key to developing an effective basis for modern pediatric cancer and hematology treatment. We believe that the new solutions will contribute to the identification of limitations and needs in children's care, which will allow for systemic changes, the development of innovative diagnostic and treatment methods and, consequently, an increase in the number of cures," he adds.

Source: press release