Research Articles (Paediatrics and Child Health)

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Browsing Research Articles (Paediatrics and Child Health) by Author "Afungchwi, Glenn M."

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    Burkitt lymphoma : trends in children below 15 years reveal priority areas for early diagnosis activities in north-west Cameroon
    (AOSIS, 2019) Afungchwi, Glenn M.; Hesseling, Peter B.; Achu, Paul; Bardin, Richard; Kouya, Francine
    Background: Burkitt lymphoma is one of the most common childhood cancers in Cameroon. Incidence rates of 5.9/100 000 and 2.58 per 100 000 have been reported in two studies in 2005 and 2012 amongst children below 15 years in the North-West Region. Aim: This study seeks to examine how Burkitt lymphoma incidence has varied between the various health districts of north-west Cameroon from 2003 to 2015. Setting: North-West region of Cameroon. Method: Ethics approval was obtained from the relevant university and Health Services Institutional Review Board. Population data was obtained from the regional delegation of public health. The Paediatric Oncology Networked Database registry from two hospitals and two pathology-based registries were reviewed for cases per year from the various districts. Age-standardised incidence rates were computed for all districts by year using the World Health Organizaion world standard populations. Results: A total of 317 cases were registered. Overall age-standardised incidence rate was 3.07 per 100 000. Annual incidence ranged from 0.09 in 2003 to 6.12 in 2010. The districts with the highest incidence rates for the entire study period include Nwa with 10.54; Ndop with 5.63; Benakuma with 5.48; Ako with 4.97; and Nkambe with 4.73. Conclusion: Clustering of Burkitt lymphoma is seen in the region, with the highest incidence in Nwa, Ndop, Benakuma, Ako and Nkambe. These districts should be prioritised for awareness creation campaigns. There is need for a population-based childhood cancer registry in the region, which will use both active and passive surveillance methods to record all childhood cancer cases.
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    Highlights from the 13th African continental meeting of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), 6–9 March 2019, Cairo, Egypt
    (ecancermedicalscience, 2019) Khalek, Elhamy Rifky; Afungchwi, Glenn M.; Beltagy, Mohamed El; Mariam, Ndagire; Zaki, Hoda; Israels, Trijn; Molyneux, Elizabeth; Howard, Scott C.; Patte, Catherine; Schoeman, Judy; Ladas, Elena; Zaghloul, Mohamed S.; ElDeen, Yasser S.; Ahmed, Soha; Kamal, Sherif; Bouffet, Eric; Pritchard-Jones, Kathy; Hessissen, Laila
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The 13th African continental meeting of the international society of paediatric oncology, held on 6–9 March 2019 in Cairo, was organised in collaboration with the Children Cancer Hospital (57357) in Egypt and the global parents’ organisation (Childhood Cancer International) and supported by a large international faculty. With 629 delegates from 37 countries (24 African), this was the largest forum of healthcare professionals focused on children and young people with cancer in Africa to showcase advances and discuss further improvements. Three targeted workshops, on nursing care, pharmacy and nutrition, attracted large numbers and catalysed new collaborative initiatives in supportive care studies, extended roles for pharmacists in quality control and care delivery and addressed malnutrition concurrently with cancer treatment. The Collaborative Wilms Tumour Africa Project, open in seven sub-Saharan countries, and the trials in Burkitt’s lymphoma reported encouraging outcomes with further initiatives in supportive care (the supportive care for children with cancer in Africa project). While acknowledging deficits in radiotherapy provision, available in only 23 of 52 African countries, centres with facilities reported their technical advances that benefit patients. Of great importance for children with brain tumours, who are underdiagnosed in Africa, was the first announcement of African paediatric neuro-oncology society, whose 63 current members aim to tackle the shortage of neurosurgeons through training fellowships, workshops and a dedicated conference. The congress provided the opportunity to discuss how African countries will work with the WHO global initiative aiming to improve childhood cancer survival to 60% in all countries by 2030. This conference report is dedicated to the three Kenyan delegates who died tragically on the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 on their way home, full of new ideas and pride in what they had achieved so far. All those who heard their presentations are determined to continue their excellent work to improve cancer care for children in Africa.
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    The role of traditional healers in the diagnosis and management of Burkitt lymphoma in Cameroon : understanding the challenges and moving forward
    (BioMed Central, 2017-04-11) Afungchwi, Glenn M.; Hesseling, Peter B.; Ladas, Elena J.
    Background Burkittlymphoma(BL) is the most common childhood cancer in Cameroon with a reported incidence of 3 per 100,000 children under 15 years in the Northwest region. Treatment at three Baptist mission hospitals has a recorded cure rate of over 50%. Traditional medicine(TM) is recognized by the national health system, but its scope is undefined and entraps children with BL. The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes and practices of parents and traditional healers (TH) towards TM in children with BL in order to develop recommendations for an integrative approach and improved access to life-saving treatment for children with BL. Methods This is a descriptive case series of children diagnosed with BL treated at Banso, Mbingo, and Mutengene Baptist Hospitals between 2003 and 2014. A questionnaire was used to obtain the following information: demographic information, religion, the rate of use of TM, reasons why guardians chose to use TM, the diagnoses made by the TH, treatment offered, and the type of payment requested, based on the accounts of patient caregivers. Data was analyzed using Center for Disease Control Epi Info 7. Results Three hundred eighty-seven questionnaires were completed by parents/guardians. 55% had consulted a TH, of whom 76.1% consulted the TH as first choice. Common diagnoses provided by TH included liver problem, abscess, witchcraft, poison, hernia, side pain, mushroom in the belly and toothache. Methods of management included massage, cuts, concoctions, and incantations. The fee for these services included chickens, farm tools, and cash ranging from 200FCFA (0.4USD) to 100,000FCFA(200USD). The choice of TM was based on accessibility, failed clinic/hospital attendance, recommendation of relatives, and belief in TM. Conclusions TH are involved in BL management in Cameroon. TH are ignorant about BL, resulting in non-referral, and thus delay in diagnosis and treatment. Collaboration with TH could reduce late diagnosis and improve cure rates of BL and other childhood cancers.
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    Working together to build a better future for children with cancer in Africa
    (American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2020) Chitsike, Inam; Paintsil, Vivian; Sung, Lillian; Njuguna, Festus; Mavinkurve-Groothuis, Annelies; Kouya, Francine; Hesseling, Peter B.; Kaspers, Gertjan; Afungchwi, Glenn M.; Ilbawi, Andre; Renner, Lorna; Pritchard-Jones, Kathy; Hessissen, Laila; Molyneux, Elizabeth; Chagaluka, George; Israels, Trijn
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: No abstract available