Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has released the findings of its latest Paediatric Oncology Report 2025, to coincide with World Cancer Research Day and Cancer Awareness Month.
Data reported by Sidra Medicine for 2019 to 2025 show 538 paediatric cancer diagnoses, including 355 solid tumours and 183 non-solid cancers. Leukaemia accounted for 34% of diagnoses, followed by central nervous system malignancies at 22%, lymphoma at 10%, neuroblastoma at 7% and germ cell tumours at 7%. Developed through Sidra Medicine’s paediatric oncology and translational research programmes, the report highlights the continued progress of paediatric cancer research and precision oncology in Qatar. It showcases how genomic and molecular insights are increasingly being integrated with clinical expertise to support more personalised care for children with cancer.
Dr Wouter Hendrickx, director of the Paediatric Oncology Qatar programme (SPOQ) at Sidra Medicine, said: “Advances in paediatric oncology research are providing clinical teams with a deeper understanding of the individual characteristics of a child’s cancer and helping inform treatment decisions. The programme uses precision medicine approaches to better understand the molecular characteristics of paediatric tumours and support advances in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.”
Genomic and molecular profiling is increasingly integrated into paediatric oncology care at Sidra Medicine. This helps clinical teams better understand the biology of each child’s cancer and, where possible, identify more precisely matched treatment options. SPOQ brings together clinicians, researchers, coordinators, nurses, and specialists to ensure molecular information supports clinical decisions.
Building on these foundations, SPOQ continues to strengthen the integration between research and clinical care. It is also advancing cellular therapies for children with cancer in Qatar. Its Advanced Cell Therapy Core is developing personalised therapies, including approaches such as CAR-T, while Sidra Medicine’s Clinical Trial Office is supporting greater access to innovative clinical trials.
Dr Chiara Cugno, acting division chief, Haematology and Oncology, clinical lead for SPOQ and director of the Advanced Cell Therapy Core at Sidra Medicine, said: “Progress in childhood cancer care is not only about developing new treatments. It is also about improving diagnosis and delivering the right care for each child. This is what makes Sidra Medicine unique, as we are one of the handful of hospitals in the world where precision care is very much part of the journey for each and every one of our haematology and oncology patients.”
Sidra Medicine is Qatar’s only hospital with specialised services and expert teams dedicated to treating paediatric and adolescent cancers and blood disorders. Its multidisciplinary approach brings together paediatric oncologists and haematologists with specialists in pathology, genomics, radiology, surgery, neurosciences and other disciplines to support diagnosis and individualised treatment planning.
Indicators of this progress include a significant reduction in the number of paediatric cancer patients who need to leave Qatar to seek treatment abroad, as well as the introduction of complex therapies requiring extensive preparation and multidisciplinary collaboration, including hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, immunotherapy, cell therapy and CAR-T cells manufactured locally at Sidra Medicine’s Good Manufacturing
Practice Facility. This reflects the growing expertise and clinical capabilities available in Qatar to provide increasingly advanced and personalised cancer care for children.
Looking ahead, Sidra Medicine aims to make comprehensive molecular profiling available to every paediatric cancer patient, supporting the development and use of the most innovative treatment approaches used worldwide.