Category: Cancer

Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH, FACOG, has been awarded $2.5M over five years by the National Institutes of Health for her research focused on improving human papillomavirus (HPV) treatment outcomes in women living with HIV (WWH) in Africa. Dr. Mungo is an Assistant Professor in the UNC Department of Obstetrics and...

Africa faces a rapidly growing cancer burden, driven by both population growth and the high prevalence of HIV.  By 2030, cancer incidence in Africa is expected to double, and by 2040, low- and middle-income countries are expected to account for 70% of global cancer deaths. The number of people with...

In the U.S., cancer diagnosis often involves costly biopsies and tests. In the south African country of Malawi, where the average annual income is around $300, patients can rarely afford such procedures — yet accurate diagnoses remain essential. To help, staff of the long-standing UNC Project Malawi Cancer Program are...

Palliative care improves the quality of life for patients (adults and children) with life-threatening illness. It prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification and correct assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual. Early delivery of palliative care can also reduce unnecessary hospital admissions...

Cervical cancer is a preventable disease, yet one of the most common causes of death among women globally, despite screening measures proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). In Malawi, efforts have focused on scaling up cervical cancer screening programs, as well as vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV). Still,...

In Sub-Saharan Africa, deaths occur in 5-10% of people living with HIV during the first year after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART), and the causes for these early deaths are not clear. Matthew Painschab, MD, member of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, and an assistant professor of hematology,...

Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH, and Lisa Rahangdale, MD, MPH, presented at the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) meeting on May 4, focusing on the latest advancements in topical therapies for cervical precancer treatment in the U.S. and around the world. Dr. Mungo and Dr. Rahangdale, both obstetricians/gynecologists...

Linda Van Le, MD, the Leonard Palumbo Distinguished Professor in the Division of Gyn Oncology, served as moderator for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health’s Annual Conference in Los Angeles, March 7-10. Van Le gave two presentations, focused on elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem and the need for cancer...

During Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH, FACOG, a member of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, was interviewed by Cancer Nursing Today, describing the role nurses can play in prevention and treatment. “Nurses interface with patients—women and men—throughout...

The Malawi Cancer Program, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, UNC Project Malawi, the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, will be hosting the 5th Annual Malawi Cancer Symposium (MCS 2023). This year’s symposium will be held September 6-7, offering a...

Hematological malignancies, including leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, are cancers that affect the blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic system. In Malawi, these cancers account for a significant proportion of cancer cases, and their treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach. To answer this need, UNC Project Malawi, Baylor Global Hope and Kamuzu Central...

Dr. Bongani Kaimila of Lilongwe, Malawi, tragically and unexpectedly passed away at the age of 36 on November 4, 2022. The accident also claimed the life of his father. He is survived by his wife Eunice Kaimila, principal of the Adziwa Christian School, and their four young children. A GoFundMe...

  A five-year training grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute expands the capacity of UNC’s Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center to train the next generation of cancer researchers in Malawi, Africa. The Malawi Cancer Outcomes Research Program, or M-CORP,...

  A team of researchers led by UNC Project-Malawi has received a one-year, $500,000 grant to build clinical and research capacity in Malawi to better diagnose and treat children with sickle cell disease. The funding is a joint award from the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National...

A team of UNC researchers are partnering with colleagues at four institutions in Africa to study HIV-associated malignancies. With a five-year, $6 million grant from the NIH’s National Cancer Institute, the research consortium will look at screening and diagnosing innovations for three cancers common to people with HIV: Kaposi sarcoma,...