June 2022 PURPOSE Burkitt lymphoma (BL) accounts for 90% of pediatric lymphomas in sub-Saharan Africa. Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria is considered an etiological factor of BL. We describe the geographic distribution of pediatric BL in Malawi and association with malaria prevalence (PfPR). We also examine the influence of travel time to cancer referral center as … 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

February 2019 – Although Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is common in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and highly curable in high-income countries, there are few prospective nonpediatric BL studies from SSA and no regional standard of care. This study represents one of the best characterized prospective cohorts of nonpediatric BL in SSA.

July 2018- Although highly effective, high-intensity cytotoxic treatments for Burkitt lymphoma are available in resource-rich settings, these therapies are usually not feasible in SSA, and lower-intensity continuous infusion approaches are impractical. We review current treatment approaches in SSA and discuss options for risk stratification and individualize therapy.

June 2018- Efforts to translate and culturally validate patient-reported health-related quality of life measures are scarce in SSA are scarce. This study translates the PROMIS-25 to Chichewa and assesses its validity and reliability in our setting.

March 2018- We examined risk factors and reasons for treatment abandonment among Malawian children with lymphoma, the most common pediatric cancer in SSA. 

June 2017 Abstract Background.  Although Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is the most common childhood lymphoma in sub-Saharan Africa, Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and other non-Hodgkin lymphomas occur. Diagnosing non-jaw mass presentations is challenging with limited pathology resources. Procedure.  We retrospectively analyzed 114 pediatric lymphomas in Lilongwe, Malawi, from December 2011 to June 2013 and compared clinical versus … Read more

June 2017 – Although Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is the most common childhood lymphoma in sub-Saharan Africa, Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and other non-Hodgkin lymphomas occur. We found that lymphomas other than Burkitt accounted for 35% of childhood lymphoma diagnoses. Although over-reliance on clinical diagnosis for BL was a limitation, confidence in non-BL diagnoses improved with time … Read more

March 2017 – Diagnosing pediatric Burkitt Lymphoma in sub-Saharan Africa is difficult, as many tools are currently not available. This study found that measuring Epstein-Barr virus DNA could help with setting the diagnosis, prognosis, and predicting the response.

November 2016 – Limited follow-up with incomplete retention is common among studies involving pediatric lymphoma patients in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examines the effects of retention and follow-up times on overall survival estimates.