June 2018 – We discuss our experience in relation to others’ major contributions to paediatric Burkitt lymphoma care in sub-Saharan Africa. We believe that sharing of heterogeneous regional experience is valuable for rigorous examination, and look forward to on-going collaborative efforts to define best approaches for this disease, which we are actively pursuing with many regional partners.
Dissecting Heterogeneous Outcomes for Paediatric Burkitt Lymphoma in Malawi after Anthracycline-Based Treatment
KD Westmoreland, NK El-Mallawany, P Kazembe, CC Stanley, S Gopal
British Journal of Haematology
Full article available here.
Excerpt
“Our group recently reported results for treatment of paediatric Burkitt lymphoma with six cycles of CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone, with intrathecal methotrexate and hydrocortisone) (Stanley et al, 2016b). Relative to the Blantyre protocol incorporating anthracyclines, our approach was somewhat more aggressive and longer in duration, with three additional doses of cyclophosphamide, vincristine and intrathecal treatment, four additional doses of doxorubicin (total dose 240–300 mg/m2) and six additional courses of prednisone. Intensification at our centre was guided by abundant experience with frequent relapses after less intensive treatment. Using this approach, 12-month overall survival in Lilongwe was 71% for stage I/II, 38% for stage III and 25% for stage IV.”