A review of the trends of lymphomas in the equatorial belt of Africa

Lymphomas represent one of the most frequent cancer types in Africa. In particular, approximately 30 000 non‐Hodgkin lymphomas occur in the equatorial belt of Africa each year and these tumours are in among the top‐ten cancers in this geographical region. Several pathogens and environmental factors...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hematological oncology 2011-09, Vol.29 (3), p.111-115
Main Authors: Rogena, Emily A., De Falco, Giulia, Schurfeld, Karin, Leoncini, Lorenzo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa - epidemiology
developing countries
Female
Humans
infectious agents
Lymphoma - epidemiology
Lymphoma - pathology
lymphomas
Male
Treatment Outcome
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Lymphomas represent one of the most frequent cancer types in Africa. In particular, approximately 30 000 non‐Hodgkin lymphomas occur in the equatorial belt of Africa each year and these tumours are in among the top‐ten cancers in this geographical region. Several pathogens and environmental factors have been detected in association with these tumours, suggesting that they may contribute to lymphomagenesis. Unfortunately, there are still striking differences between developed and African countries in terms of early detection, diagnosis and treatment of lymphomas. Of note, the disease burden appears to be increasing in Africa. In addition, a much lower cure rate in the low‐income countries suggests that the difference in mortality will even become more pronounced in future. Therefore, improving diagnosis is crucial as without it, neither meaningful research projects nor effective patient management can be instituted. In this review, we will summarize the state‐of‐the‐art of lymphoma epidemiology, pathobiology and therapy, and will highlight the still existing gaps between developed and African countries. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0278-0232
1099-1069
DOI:10.1002/hon.977