About us
SIOPEL (the International Childhood Liver Tumours Strategy Group) is the international liver tumour study group that grew out of European cooperative work within the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) in the late 1980s. After its formation (initially as the SIOP Epithelial Liver Tumour Study Group), SIOPEL launched its first multicentre clinical trial (SIOPEL-1, 1990–1994), marking a major step toward harmonised, prospective treatment strategies for rare paediatric liver cancers. Over the following decades, SIOPEL helped shape modern hepatoblastoma management by promoting multidisciplinary care and contributing to widely adopted concepts such as pre-treatment radiologic staging (PRETEXT) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy, refined across successive SIOPEL studies and risk-adapted protocols. More recently, SIOPEL has been a key partner in global collaborations—most notably the Children’s Hepatic Tumors International Collaboration (CHIC)—that pooled international trial data to strengthen prognostic models and support the design of next-generation worldwide studies. Building on this momentum, SIOPEL is also a core contributor to the Paediatric Hepatic International Tumour Trial (PHITT; COG AHEP1531), a major international protocol developed through a consensus collaboration across cooperative groups including COG, the Japanese network (JPLT/JCCG), and European/German partners (e.g., GPOH), aiming to harmonise risk stratification and treatment strategies for hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Our Role
Bridging science and care for chilhood tumors
Coordinate international clinical trials to evaluate and improve available treatments.
Develop shared tools to better understand and classify tumours, such as the PRETEXT system, now recognized as the global standard.
Share knowledge and train medical teams around the world.
Collaborate with other international research groups to strengthen the fight against these rare diseases.
Our Areas of Focus
SIOPEL’s work primarily concerns:
- Hepatoblastoma, the most common malignant liver tumour in children.
- Childhood hepatocellular carcinoma, a rarer but often more aggressive form.
Thanks to progress achieved through SIOPEL clinical protocols, the survival rate of children with hepatoblastoma has increased significantly over the past three decades.
An International Initiative
SIOPEL is part of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) and collaborates closely with experts across all continents. SIOPEL has joined forces with the US-based COG and Japan’s JCCG consortiums to establish the Children’s Hepatic Tumours International Collaboration (CHIC), a global initiative bringing together thousands of cases to advance our understanding of these diseases and shape the treatments of tomorrow.
Our Commitment
Every child affected by a liver tumour deserves the best possible chance of recovery. That’s why SIOPEL is committed to:
- Developing safer and more effective treatments
- Improving the dissemination of information to affected families
- Supporting research and innovation for the future
Executive Board
Provides strategic and operational leadership for the association , comprising the following members : Chair (elected by the General Assembly), Chairperson Elect, Past Chair, Treasurer and Secretary
