February 17 2022 PURPOSE Low health literacy is a leading cause of treatment abandonment among patients receiving cancer care at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Malawi. METHODS We developed cancer educational videos featuring Malawian providers and played them in the KCH oncology clinic. The videos addressed cancer-related topics, including disease biology, common myths, diagnostic procedures, … Read more

UNC Project Malawi Cancer Program esophageal cancer and cancer clinic division lead Bongani Kaimila, MBBS, MSc, launched a cross-sectional study to determine the feasibility of endoscopic screening for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC) precursor lesions in Malawi and the relationship with poor oral health. In Malawi, ESCC is the third commonest cancer nationwide. Among cancers … Read more

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has appointed Ashley Leak Bryant, PhD, RN, OCN, FAAN, as assistant director of Cancer Research Training Education Coordination (CRTEC). Bryant joins Bernard Weissman, PhD, and Jen Jen Yeh, MD, co-associate directors of CRTEC. The goal of CRTEC is to develop the next generation of cancer researchers and professionals by supporting … Read more

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was one of four institutions to be awarded a National Cancer Institute D43 grant to strengthen institutional capacity for cancer research in LMIC’s. The 5-year grant strengthens the partnership of the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer center and establishes … Read more

January 2021-The eastern corridor of Africa is affected by a high burden of esophageal cancer (EC), with > 90% of patients presenting with advanced disease. Self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) have been previously reported as safe and effective for palliation of malignant dysphagia in resource-limited settings; however, access is limited throughout Eastern Africa. In response to … Read more

July 2021- There are no clinical trials involving patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in sub-Saharan Africa since antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV became widely available in this region. We aimed to establish the safety and efficacy of rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in patients with DLBCL in Malawi. This prospective, … Read more

July 2021- Cost-effectiveness data for cancer treatment are needed from sub-Saharan Africa, where diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a common, curable cancer. In high-income countries, the standard of care for DLBCL is R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) chemoimmunotherapy. Rituximab is often not available in sub-Saharan Africa due to perceived unaffordability, and treatment … Read more

May 2021-Cancer outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remain suboptimal, in part due to poor patient retention. Many patients travel long distances to receive care, and transportation costs are often prohibitively expensive. These are well-known and established causes of delayed treatment and care abandonment in Malawi and across SSA. We sent visit reminder texts and offered … Read more

August 2021- Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) that assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are increasingly important components of cancer care and research that are infrequently used in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We administered the Chichewa Pediatric Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System Pediatric (PROMIS)-25 at diagnosis, active treatment, and follow-up among pediatric lymphoma patients in Lilongwe, Malawi. Mean … Read more