Recognizing that brain tumors are not confined by geographical boundaries, the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) has long believed that progress in the fight against adult and pediatric CNS cancers can be accelerated when the international research community works together to share findings and best practices. In this installment of the SNO 25th Anniversary History Series, we focus on the effort to establish a global organization to unite regional and national neuro-oncology societies, as well as SNO’s work to improve the clinical care of patients with brain tumors in developing regions of the world through international outreach.
The World Federation of Neuro-Oncology Societies
The World Federation of Neuro-Oncology Societies (WFNOS) was established in 2012 with the goal of providing an international platform for education and research in the field of neuro-oncology through inter-organizational collaboration. Susan Chang, who served as the first chair of the WFNOS, worked with Michael Weller of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) and Chas Haynes of SNO to draft an official Charter for the organization.
The Charter codifies the long-lasting cooperation between SNO, EANO and partner societies in the Asia Pacific region, which are united under the umbrella of the Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology (ASNO). The WFNOS seeks to promote the development of the field of neuro-oncology by elevating and sustaining the education of all healthcare professionals involved in neuro-oncology, and by encouraging mutual fellowship, goodwill, and scientific collaboration among physicians and scientists actively involved in the field of neuro-oncology worldwide.
ASNO, EANO and SNO are the founding and “Charter Members” of WFNOS. Membership in the WFNOS is open to any national neuro-oncology society, or confederation of neuro-oncology societies, that provide services to registered members with advanced educational degrees, consisting of M.D., D.O., Ph.D., or an internationally recognized equivalent. These members of WFNOS are referred to as “General Members” or “Member States.” There are presently eighteen general member states, with two of these regional societies.
One of the major tasks of WFNOS is the organization and scientific planning of the quadrennial World Federation of Neuro-Oncology Societies meeting. Representatives from WFNOS member-states play an active role in the development and promotion of this global event. The next WFNOS meeting is scheduled to take place March 24–27, 2022, in Seoul, South Korea, and will be hosted by ASNO under the leadership of the current WFNOS Chair, Yong-Kil Hong.
As more national and regional neuro-oncology societies are established in the coming years, the World Federation of Neuro-Oncology Societies will play an increasingly important role in promoting global cooperation between member-states and improving the care of patients with brain tumors worldwide.
SNO International Outreach
The International Outreach Committee (IOC) of the Society for Neuro-Oncology was established in 2006 as an outgrowth of the visionary leadership of Abhijit Guha, then President of the Society, and his recognition of the increasingly global perspective of the membership of the Society. Volunteer members were recruited to serve on the committee, and eight global developing regions were identified: South America/Central America & the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa (East, West, Central and Southern Africa), China & associated countries, Far East and Australasia, Indian Sub-Continent, North Africa & the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Through a competitive application process, travel scholarships to the SNO annual meeting were established, and as noted in Table 1, the Society has supported the travel of over 100 young professionals from 41 developing countries to attend the annual meeting.
Table 1.
To date, the Society has supported the travel of over 100 young professionals from 41 developing countries to attend the annual SNO meeting
| Algeria | Nairobi |
| Argentina | Namibia |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Nepal |
| Brazil | Nigeria |
| China | Pakistan |
| Colombia | Panama |
| Cuba | Paraguay |
| Dominican Republic | Philippines |
| Egypt | Qatar |
| Georgia | Russia |
| Ghana | Saudi Arabia |
| Guatemala | Serbia |
| Honduras | Sri Lanka |
| India | Tunisia |
| Indonesia | Turkey |
| Iran | Ukrain |
| Jordan | Ukraine |
| Kuala Lumpur | Viet Nam |
| Malaysia | Yemen |
| Mexico | |
| Mongolia | |
| Morocco |
Leading the IOC after Dr. Guha’s untimely death, Jonathan Finlay and Eric Bouffet carried this effort forward through the facilitation of educational opportunities and exchanges, and through the development of collaborations between brain tumor specialists in high-income countries and their counterparts in developing countries. Drs. Finlay and Bouffet also organized special educational sessions during the SNO annual meeting in which invited speakers from low-income countries as well as others recognized for their work in neuro-oncology global health, presented on the current status of care of brain tumor patients in their countries and specific strategies to improve such care. These special sessions were expanded through the efforts of subsequent IOC chairs Jason Huse and Mustafa Khasraw, and continue to be a feature of the SNO annual meeting to this day. Currently, under the leadership of James Balogun, Zarnie Lwin, and Edjah Nduom, the IOC is expanding SNO’s outreach efforts through an international mentorship program, publishing practical information in SNO’s journals, and promoting the committee’s activities to regional and national neuro-oncology societies.
In 2015 a proposal was made by Gelareh Zadeh to the SNO executive leadership to establish an outreach grant to support international educational events – primarily conferences, scientific meetings, or courses – to be held on-location in a developing country to help promote regional neuro-oncology activities, meet the specific needs of the area, and allow building of educational events at the direction of local scientific hosts and teams. This initiative was made possible through Dr Zadeh building a successful partnership with Mark Bernstein, neurosurgereon and Wilkins-Barrick Chair in International Surgery at the University of Toronto, and with equal contribution from the SNO Foundation, commited to offer this grant in perpetuity. This scholarship program has now contributed to the organization of six international courses (see Table 2), the first one taking place in Kuala Lumpur. Also, thanks to the support of the Wilkins-Barrick Fund, SNO was able to partner with the International Brain Tumour Alliance and the Zimbabwe Brain Tumour Association to convene a meeting in October 2017, which led to the establishment of the Society for Neuro-Oncology Sub-Saharan Africa (SNOSSA). SNO has made a multiyear pledge to assist SNOSSA in the organization of courses across the Sub-Continent. Future IOC efforts are being considered to take place in Ghana and Pakistan.
Table 2.
Courses organized with the support of the SNO and the Wilkins-Barrick Chair in International Surgery at the University of Toronto
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Marrakech, Morocco |
| Lima, Peru |
| Abuja, Nigeria |
| Cape Town, South Africa |
Conclusion
The vast disparity in the quality of neuro-oncological care that exists around the world makes the challenge before SNO’s International Outreach committee massive in scale. However, as demonstrated by the accomplishments of the WFNOS and the SNO IOC, positive change can be facilitated in incremental steps. SNO looks forward to extending its outreach efforts and building ever-stronger international relationships with sister societies in the future.