Childhood malignancies in University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria.

Abstract

Abstract:Background: Mortality from malignancies in children remains high. Creating awareness of the disease and advocacy for funding of a cancer research center are pertinent. Objective: To determine the incidence and outcome of children with cancers at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwaglada, Abuja-FCT, Nigeria Method: This was a 5 year prospective study of all diagnosed cancer patients admitted into the paediatric ward. The type of cancer, method of diagnosis, clinical staging and outcomes were entered and frequency tables generated on Microsoft Excel. Results: Forty-six patients were diagnosed with cancer within the study period. Burkitt's lymphoma was the highest encountred malignancy, while medulloblastoma was least occurring. Only 36.9 percent (N=17) of patients received chemotherapy. Of these, 6.5 percent (n=3) completed therapy. Twenty nine percent of patients died. 4 percent of those that died had commenced chemotherapy. There was a 70 percent treatment default rate. One patient was referred on request to another tertiary center. All other patients were lost to follow up. Conclusion: Management of childhood cancers still poses a problem. Poverty, ignorance and lack of cancer research units contributed to our poor outcome. The greater involvement of government and international non-governmental organizations (NGO) which assist health sector is advocated in the establishment of cancer research centers and the provision of free chemotherapeutic agents.

Outcome of childhood malignancies at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital: a call for implementation of palliative care

“…4,5,6 The male preponderance observed in this study was comparable with previous reports in various parts of Nigeria, as well as in other resource-limited countries. 4,6,[13][14][15][16] Cultural and economic factors may account for the difference, as males usually benefit from more medical attention than females in these countries.…”

“…4,5,6 The male preponderance observed in this study was comparable with previous reports in various parts of Nigeria, as well as in other resource-limited countries. 4,6,[13][14][15][16] Cultural and economic factors may account for the difference, as males usually benefit from more medical attention than females in these countries. 15 While studies in India, 4 Côte D'Ivoire 13 and western parts of Nigeria 16 found that children in the age bracket 5-9 years were most affected, under-fives children represented 55% of this study population.…”

“…It is lower than the 59% reported by Brown et al 23 in Ibadan. It is however higher than 21.7% obtained by Offiong in Abuja, 6 who studied 46 cases of childhood malignancies over a 5-year period. A greater number of referrals to the Ibadan centre may account for the larger sample size with higher mortality figure.…”

“…24 The rarity of brain tumours in this series has also been reported in a previous study in this same centre a decade ago 25 as well in several series in Nigeria. 6,15,16 It is not clear whether this is due to biologic factors or it is possible that suspected cases are referred to centres with diagnostic and treatment facilities for central nervous system tumours.…”

“…Other factors include ignorance, poverty, cultural beliefs and consultation of traditional healers which seem to be the major factors behind late presentation. 5,6 The burden of cancer in Nigeria is unknown mainly because of lack of statistics or under-reporting.…”