Doha, Qatar: Sidra Medicine has released its Pediatric Oncology Report 2025, highlighting advances in genomic profiling, precision medicine and research-led cancer care for children and adolescents in Qatar.
The report, released alongside World Cancer Research Day and Cancer Awareness Month, outlines developments within Sidra Medicine’s Pediatric Oncology Qatar (SPOQ) programme and its efforts to integrate molecular and genomic information into clinical decision-making.
Dr. Wouter Hendrickx, Director of the Pediatric Oncology Qatar program (SPOQ) at Sidra Medicine, said: “Advances in pediatric oncology research are providing clinical teams with a deeper understanding of the individual characteristics of a child’s cancer and helping inform treatment decisions. Our work supports the country’s ambitions under Qatar National Vision 2030 to advance healthcare, research and innovation and strengthen specialized capabilities within the country. The program uses precision medicine approaches to better understand the molecular characteristics of pediatric tumors and support advances in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.”
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Between 2019 and 2025, Sidra Medicine recorded 538 pediatric cancer diagnoses, including 355 solid tumours and 183 non-solid cancers. Leukemia represented 34% of cases, followed by central nervous system malignancies at 22%, lymphoma at 10%, neuroblastoma at 7% and germ cell tumours at 7%.
The SPOQ programme has expanded molecular diagnostic capabilities, including expedited Genomic Oncology Profiling to provide clinicians with information that can support urgent treatment decisions. The programme brings together oncology, pathology, genomics, neurosurgery, research and other specialist teams.
Dr. Chiara Cugno, Acting Division Chief of Hematology 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 hematology and oncology patients. We are proud to represent Sidra Medicine as an organization that has cancer care and research at the forefront of its precision medicine agenda.”
Sidra Medicine is also developing advanced cellular therapies, including CAR-T approaches, through its Advanced Cell Therapy Core, while its Clinical Trial Office supports access to innovative clinical studies.
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The hospital has also reported a reduction in the number of pediatric cancer patients requiring treatment abroad and has expanded access to complex therapies such as stem cell transplantation, immunotherapy and locally manufactured CAR-T cell therapy.
Looking ahead, Sidra Medicine aims to make comprehensive molecular profiling available to every pediatric cancer patient and further strengthen precision oncology capabilities in Qatar.
