Dr. Marriam Mponda has been selected to present at the upcoming 64th annual meeting and exposition that will take place on December 10-13, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Dr. Mponda will be presenting her poster entitled, “ABVD for Hodgkin Lymphoma in Malawi: Excellent Outcomes but with Persistent Clinical Disparities Compared to High Income Countries: A Prospective Cohort Study.”
In this study, Dr. Mponda and colleagues showed that Hodgkin lymphoma can be successfully treated in Malawi with standard combination of four cytotoxic chemotherapies (ABVD) without excess toxicity. The study enrolled a total of 38 participants age ≥15 from 2013-2021. Though most patients present with advanced disease due to delays in diagnostics and presentations, the therapy is still remarkably effective and safe, with 80% of limited stage and 61% of advanced stage patients in remission at two years. However, despite remarkable success, there are still marked inequities compared to high-income countries, especially if ABVD chemotherapy does not work. Of eleven deaths during the study period, nine were from disease progression, showing that access to additional therapies, which have been shown to be life-saving in high-income countries, is urgently needed.
The ASH Annual Meeting is the largest and most influential meeting of hematology professionals in the world. The abstract competition is extremely competitive and being chosen to present at the meeting is a great career honor for Dr. Mponda. Dr. Mponda is a graduate of KUHeS and has been a Cancer Medical Officer with UNC Project Malawi working in collaboration with the Kamuzu Central Hospital National Cancer Treatment Centre since 2021.
The abstract can be accessed for free here: Abstract
Figure Below shows the overall survival and progression – free survival of Hodgkin lymphoma treated with ABVD in Malawi.
