(P 213) REGIONAL KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION IN RETROPERITONEAL SARCOMAS: IMPACT OF AN EDUCATIONAL WEBINAR SERIES BY THE MEXICAN SARCOMA GROUP

Objective: The rarity and complexity of retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) difficult the implementation of best practices and up-to-date knowledge among first-line healthcare professionals and can result in delayed diagnosis and suboptimal treatment. In developing regions such as Latin America, with limited access to specialized care and resources, disseminating knowledge becomes a challenge. High quality educational content produced by international collaborative groups is often only available in English, therefore not accessible to exclusively Spanish-speaking clinicians. To overcome language and geographic limitations, the implementation of web-based learning has demonstrated multiple advantages, such as on-demand access, increased participation and the ability to reproduce the material. Leveraging technology, the Mexican Sarcoma Group (MSG) intended to enhance regional knowledge through interactive and accessible educational resources. We aimed to measure the impact of an educational webinar series on the diagnostic approach and multidisciplinary treatment of STS among health professionals in Mexico.

Methods: From August 2023 to March 2024, a total of 5 free, 1.5-hour interactive webinars were conducted in Spanish, with academic sponsorship by the Mexican Association of General Surgery (AMCG). The agenda was based on a preexisting framework developed by the Transatlantic Retroperitoneal Sarcoma Working Group (TARPSWG), with national and international expert speakers. Spanish subtitle translation was ensured for all international speakers. Demographic data were collected at registration and attendees were invited to complete a pre- and post-webinar survey, developed by a panel of national STS experts in adherence to ESMO and NCCN guidelines. Differences in pre- and post-webinar performance (% correct answers) were evaluated for statistical significance (p< 0.05) using T tests. Data analysis was performed in R version 4.4.0.

Results: A total of 723 clinicians attended the live webinars (median per webinar 145, range 97-217), with 57.5% having ≥80% attendance (Fig 1a). Nationwide reach was obtained, however 54% of attendees were from the central region (Fig 1b). Demographic characteristics of attendees are shown in Table 1. The audience was multidisciplinary, mainly composed of surgical oncologists (54%) followed by medical oncologists (14%) and pathologists (13%). The majority (61%) were already in practice, while 33% were trainees. Pre- and post-webinar surveys were completed by 90 and 66 participants, consisting of 15 questions on 4 topics: 1) systems of care, 2) staging and preoperative assessment, 3) primary surgical approach and 4) multimodal treatment. Improved performance (Fig 2) was observed in 14/15 (93.3%) of questions (overall mean change +6.6%, 95% CI 2.8-10.4%, p = 0.002). There has been continued reach and engagement through MSG’s Youtube channel, with 195 views in 4 months.

Conclusion: Up-to-date, expert-led webinars held in the native language of the target audience can lead to significant improvement in clinical knowledge regarding referral to expert centers, diagnostic approach, histology-tailored treatment and multidisciplinary management of RPS, as measured through an expert-designed webinar. Regional collaborative groups can further increase the impact of international initiatives, tailoring best practices to local sociodemographic context, available resources and challenges. These results highlight the role of webinars specifically and other online tools as an essential part of the multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of STS through continuous medical education, reaching a national multidisciplinary audience. This webinar series also emphasizes the importance of the implementation and dissemination of digital tools in different languages to reduce disparities in healthcare and ensure that clinicians are well-informed about best current practices.