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Brownlee AJ, Dewey M, Chagomerana MB, Tomoka T, Mulenga M, Khan S, Kampani C, Chimzimu F, Gastier-Foster JM, Westmoreland KD, Ozuah NW, Krysiak R, Malamba-Banda C, Painschab MS, Gopal S, Fedoriw Y. Update on pathology laboratory development and research in advancing regional cancer care in Malawi. Front Med (Lausanne) 2024; 11:1336861. [PMID: 38298817 PMCID: PMC10829605 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1336861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The pathology laboratory at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe, Malawi was established in 2011. We published our initial experiences in laboratory development and telepathology in 2013 and 2016, respectively. The purpose of this paper is to provide an update on our work by highlighting the positive role laboratory development has played in improving regional cancer care and research. In addition, we provide a summary of the adult pathology data from specimens received between July 1, 2011, and May 31, 2019, with an emphasis on malignant diagnoses. We compare these summaries to estimates of cancer incidence in this region to identify gaps and future needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy J. Brownlee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Morgan Dewey
- School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Maganizo B. Chagomerana
- University of North Carolina (UNC) Project-Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Tamiwe Tomoka
- University of North Carolina (UNC) Project-Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Maurice Mulenga
- Kamuzu Central Hospital, Malawi Ministry of Health, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Shiraz Khan
- University of North Carolina (UNC) Project-Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
- Kamuzu Central Hospital, Malawi Ministry of Health, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Coxcilly Kampani
- University of North Carolina (UNC) Project-Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Fred Chimzimu
- University of North Carolina (UNC) Project-Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Julie M. Gastier-Foster
- Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Kate D. Westmoreland
- University of North Carolina (UNC) Project-Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
- Division of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Nmazuo W. Ozuah
- Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Robert Krysiak
- University of North Carolina (UNC) Project-Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Chikondi Malamba-Banda
- University of North Carolina (UNC) Project-Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
- Malawi University of Science and Technology, Limbe, Malawi
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Program, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Matthew S. Painschab
- University of North Carolina (UNC) Project-Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Satish Gopal
- Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Yuri Fedoriw
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- University of North Carolina (UNC) Project-Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
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Five decades of low intensity and low survival: adapting intensified regimens to cure pediatric Burkitt lymphoma in Africa. Blood Adv 2021; 4:4007-4019. [PMID: 32841337 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020002178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Long-term cure of childhood Burkitt lymphoma (BL) in sub-Saharan Africa after treatment with single-agent cyclophosphamide has been documented for more than half of a century. Contemporary cure rates for the highest-risk patients with BL in high-income countries exceed 90% using intensive multiagent chemotherapy. By contrast, the majority of African children with BL still die. Data spanning 5 decades in Africa have repeatedly shown that the children most likely to achieve cure with limited cyclophosphamide regimens are those with lower-stage disease isolated to the jaw. Attempts to intensify the cyclophosphamide monotherapy backbone with the addition of vincristine, low-dose methotrexate, prednisone, doxorubicin, and/or low-dose cytarabine have not yielded significant improvement. High-dose methotrexate is a critical component in the treatment of childhood BL worldwide. Although initial efforts in Africa to incorporate high-dose methotrexate resulted in high treatment-related mortality, more recent collaborative experiences from North and West Africa, as well as Central America, demonstrate that it can be administered safely and effectively, despite limitations in supportive care resources. Recognizing the unacceptable disparity in curative outcomes for BL between the United States/Europe and equatorial Africa, there is a critical need to safely adapt contemporary treatment regimens to optimize curative outcomes amid the resource limitations in regions where BL is endemic. Here, we critically review reports of BL treatment outcomes from low- and middle-income countries, in addition to data from high-income countries that predated modern intensified regimens, to identify potential strategies to improve the therapeutic approach for children suffering from BL in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Ezenwosu OU, Chukwu BF, Okafor OC, Ikefuna AN, Emodi IJ. Generalized lymphadenopathy: an unusual presentation of burkitt lymphoma in a Nigerian child: a case report. Afr Health Sci 2019; 19:3249-3252. [PMID: 32127903 PMCID: PMC7040310 DOI: 10.4314/ahs.v19i4.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Burkitt Lymphoma is the fastest growing tumor in human and the commonest of the childhood malignancies. Generalized lymphadenopathy is a common feature of immunodeficiency associated Burkitt lymphoma but an uncommon presentation of the endemic type in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) negative children. CASE PRESENTATION The authors report a 6 year old HIV negative boy who presented with generalized lymphadenopathy, cough, weight loss, fever and drenching night sweat and had received native medication as well as treatment in private hospitals. His examination revealed hepatosplenomegaly, bull neck with generalized significant massive lymphadenopathy. Diagnosis was missed initially until a lymphnode biopsy for histology confirmed Burkitt lymphoma. He was managed on combination chemotherapy with complete resolution and now on follow up. CONCLUSION To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented report of its kind of endemic Burkitt lymphoma involving lymphnodes generally as the primary site. High index of suspicion and early biopsy are the key in this uncommon presentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osita U Ezenwosu
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria
| | - Barth F Chukwu
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria
| | - Okechukwu C Okafor
- Department of Pathology, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria
| | - Anthony N Ikefuna
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria
| | - Ifeoma J Emodi
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria
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El-Mallawany NK, Wasswa P, Mtete I, Mutai M, Stanley CC, Mtunda M, Chasela M, Mpasa A, Wachepa S, Kamiyango W, Villiera J, Kazembe PN, Mehta PS. Identifying opportunities to bridge disparity gaps in curing childhood cancer in Malawi: Malignancies with excellent curative potential account for the majority of diagnoses. Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2017; 34:261-274. [PMID: 29190181 DOI: 10.1080/08880018.2017.1395934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The majority of African children with cancer die without access to resources. We describe efforts to build a public treatment program with curative intent for childhood cancer in Lilongwe, Malawi despite severe limitations in diagnostic and therapeutic resources. We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of childhood cancer patients at Kamuzu Central Hospital from 12/2011-6/2013. Consistently available chemotherapeutic agents were limited to cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, bleomycin, methotrexate, and prednisone. Of 258 newly diagnosed childhood malignancies, 17 patients with retinoblastoma were excluded from clinical analyses due to insufficient clinical data. Among the remainder of the cohort (n = 241), 42% were female with median age 8.4 years (range 0.6-17.9). Forty-six (19%) were HIV-infected (42 Kaposi sarcoma, 3 Burkitt lymphoma, 1 Hodgkin lymphoma). The most common clinical presentations were palpable abdominal mass (41%), peripheral lymphadenopathy (33%), and jaw mass (17%). Nearly two-thirds of total diagnoses were accounted for by Burkitt lymphoma (n = 74), Kaposi sarcoma (n = 52), Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 21), and Wilms tumor (n = 19). Twelve-month overall survival for these 4 most common diagnoses was 54% (95% confidence interval 46-61) versus 19% (95% confidence interval 11-30) for all other diagnoses (median follow-up 19 months). Treatment-related mortality was highest in patients with non-Wilms solid tumors of the abdomen (48% versus 10% for the overall cohort, p < 0.001), while treatment abandonment was highest in patients with bone and soft-tissue sarcomas (29% versus 14% overall, p = 0.05). Childhood cancers with excellent curative potential accounted for the majority of patients, establishing an opportunity to build treatment programs with curative intent despite severe limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nader Kim El-Mallawany
- a Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA.,b Department of Pediatrics , Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers , Houston , Texas , USA
| | - Peter Wasswa
- b Department of Pediatrics , Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers , Houston , Texas , USA.,c Department of Pediatrics , Kamuzu Central Hospital , Lilongwe , Malawi.,d Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Malawi , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | - Idah Mtete
- c Department of Pediatrics , Kamuzu Central Hospital , Lilongwe , Malawi.,d Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Malawi , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | - Mercy Mutai
- c Department of Pediatrics , Kamuzu Central Hospital , Lilongwe , Malawi.,d Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Malawi , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | | | - Mary Mtunda
- c Department of Pediatrics , Kamuzu Central Hospital , Lilongwe , Malawi.,d Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Malawi , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | - Mary Chasela
- c Department of Pediatrics , Kamuzu Central Hospital , Lilongwe , Malawi.,d Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Malawi , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | - Atupele Mpasa
- c Department of Pediatrics , Kamuzu Central Hospital , Lilongwe , Malawi.,d Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Malawi , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | - Stella Wachepa
- c Department of Pediatrics , Kamuzu Central Hospital , Lilongwe , Malawi.,d Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Malawi , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | - William Kamiyango
- c Department of Pediatrics , Kamuzu Central Hospital , Lilongwe , Malawi.,d Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Malawi , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | - Jimmy Villiera
- c Department of Pediatrics , Kamuzu Central Hospital , Lilongwe , Malawi.,d Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Malawi , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | - Peter N Kazembe
- c Department of Pediatrics , Kamuzu Central Hospital , Lilongwe , Malawi.,d Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Malawi , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | - Parth S Mehta
- a Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA.,b Department of Pediatrics , Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers , Houston , Texas , USA
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