Evaluating the Implementation Success of an Intensity-Adapted Guideline for Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Malawi: An Observational-Implementation Study Protocol.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is most often incurable in low-resource settings. To address this challenge, the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) developed an intensity-adapted AML practice guideline in 2019. Here, we present the protocol of an observational-implementation study evaluating the SIOP guideline in Malawi.

Relapse patterns among children and adolescents with Kaposi sarcoma in Malawi.

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a common childhood cancer in Malawi, but few studies have explored clinical characteristics of relapsed disease. We aimed to characterize clinical patterns of relapse to improve treatment and, ultimately, long-term survival in patients with pediatric KS. A retrospective cohort study was conducted among patients ages <19 years of age at time of KS diagnosis in Lilongwe, Malawi between August 1, 2010 and March 15, 2020.

Pediatric Malignant Tumors in Malawi: A Diagnostic Report From the Kamuzu Central Hospital Pathology Laboratory 2011-2020.

Background: In 2011, a partnership between Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) and the University of North Carolina (UNC) led to the opening of the first diagnostic pathology laboratory in Lilongwe, Malawi's capital.

Procedure: A retrospective case series of malignancies diagnosed at the KCH-UNC pathology laboratory between 2011 and 2020 in pediatric and adolescent patients aged 0-18 years.

Results: Between 2011 and 2020, 12761 specimens were received from 5137 pediatric and adolescent patients.

High-Dose Methotrexate Usage Without Drug-Level Monitoring in Advanced Pediatric Mature B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in a Resource-Limited Setting in Malawi.

Purpose: Excellent survival for advanced (stages II with high lactate dehydrogenase, III, and IV) pediatric mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (MB-NHL) has been achieved with intensive regimens, but adoption in sub-Saharan Africa is limited by inadequate supportive care. We provide real-world data on treating advanced MB-NHL with high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX; ≥1,000 mg/m/cycle) where real-time serum MTX monitoring is unavailable.

Methods: We identified two cohorts-a retrospective (January 2017-December 2020) cohort treated with 1,000 or 3,000 mg/m/cycle of HD-MTX and a prospective (July 2022-July 2023) cohort-with a modified LMB96 protocol containing 3,000 mg/m/cycle of HD-MTX.

Childhood Cancer Survivorship Care in Limited Resource Settings: A Narrative Review and Strategies to Promote Global Health Equity.

The WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer, prompted by the marked inequity of survival across the globe, aims to increase survival rates in low- and middle-income countries to 60% by 2030. In tandem with this effort, implementing survivorship-focused care is crucial to mitigate late effects and prevent early mortality beyond the 5-year survival end point. The observed burden of secondary malignancies, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic health conditions in adult survivors of childhood cancer in high-income countries provides guidance to generate evidence in limited-resource settings.

Tumor-Associated Edema in Children with Kaposi Sarcoma: 14 Years' Experience at Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi.

Background/objectives: Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a common lymphatic endothelial cancer among children with and without HIV in central and eastern Africa. Despite its clinical heterogeneity, its various clinical phenotypes are often grouped together in staging and treatment algorithms. Patients with KS tumor-associated edema, referring to hard, non-pitting lesions which often lead to chronic disability, represent a unique, understudied subgroup of children with KS.

Factors Influencing Guardians' Health-Seeking Decisions for Children With Burkitt Lymphoma in Northern and Central Malawi.

Background: The survival of children with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) in sub-Saharan Africa is disproportionately low compared to high-income countries. In Malawi, many of these children are diagnosed in advanced stages. Early and accurate diagnosis is critical to survival of children with BL.

Rapid gene fusion testing using the NanoString nCounter platform to improve pediatric leukemia diagnoses in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Risk stratification and molecular targeting have been key to increasing cure rates for pediatric cancers in high-income countries. In contrast, precise diagnosis in low-resource settings is hindered by insufficient pathology infrastructure. The Global HOPE program aims to improve outcomes for pediatric cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by building local clinical care and diagnostic capacity.

Pediatric HIV+ Kaposi sarcoma exhibits clinical, virological, and molecular features different from the adult disease.

BACKGROUNDKaposi sarcoma (KS) is among the most common childhood cancers in Eastern and Central Africa. Pediatric KS has a distinctive clinical presentation compared with adult KS, which includes a tendency for primary lymph node involvement, a considerable proportion of patients lacking cutaneous lesions, and a potential for fulminant disease. The molecular mechanisms or correlates for these disease features are unknown.

Outcomes of Wilms tumor therapy in Lilongwe, Malawi, 2016-2021: Successes and ongoing research priorities.

Introduction: Wilms tumor therapy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) relies on treatment protocols adapted to resource limitations, but these protocols have rarely been evaluated in real-world settings. Such evaluations are necessary to identify high-impact research priorities for clinical and implementation trials in LMICs. The purpose of this study was to identify highest priority targets for future clinical and implementation trials in sub-Saharan Africa by assessing outcomes of a resource-adapted treatment protocol in Malawi.

Divergent clinical presentations and outcomes among children and adolescents with Kaposi sarcoma in Malawi and Tanzania.

Objectives: The Kaposi sarcoma (KS) T0 versus T1 staging classification does not address the unique clinical features of paediatric KS in human gammaherpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) endemic regions of Africa. This study seeks to define patterns of childhood KS using a paediatric-specific approach.

Methods: The Lilongwe paediatric KS staging classification categorizes disease based on clinical phenotype: stage 1 = mild/moderate KS limited to cutaneous/oral involvement, stage 2 = primarily lymphadenopathic disease, stage 3 = woody edema KS, stage 4 = visceral and/or severe/disseminated mucocutaneous disease.