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Burkitt's lymphoma: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS and the outcome of treatment

P B Hesseling, F Kouya, E Katayi, G Mbah, P Wharin

Abstract


The prevalence of HIV in Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) patients and the outcome of treatment in Cameroon were unknown. Records of all patients diagnosed with BL at three Cameroon Baptist Convention hospitals were reviewed to ascertain the recorded HIV status and outcome of treatment. Of 979 patients diagnosed with BL, 717 were tested for HIV and 11 (1.5%) were HIV-positive. Three of eight patients treated with both cyclophosphamide (CPM)-based chemotherapy and antiretrovirals were alive at 62, 96 and 111 months, respectively. The HIV rate was comparable to that of 1% for the general population of children aged <15 years. Low-cost high-frequency CPM was the only available treatment option for BL and was associated with 37.5% long-term survival in a resource-limited setting.


Authors' affiliations

P B Hesseling, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Tygerberg Children’s Hospital and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

F Kouya, Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board, Bamenda, Cameroon

E Katayi, Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board, Bamenda, Cameroon

G Mbah, Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board, Bamenda, Cameroon

P Wharin, Beryl Thyer Memorial Africa Trust, Warkton, UK

Full Text

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Keywords

Burkitt's lymphoma; HIV/AIDS; Treatment; Cameroon; Children

Cite this article

South African Medical Journal 2018;108(2):84-85. DOI:10.7196/SAMJ.2018.v108i2.12441

Article History

Date submitted: 2018-02-01
Date published: 2018-02-01

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