       Document 0020
 DOCN  M9610020
 TI    Childhood cancers in Zambia before and after the HIV epidemic.
 DT    9601
 AU    Chintu C; Athale UH; Patil PS; School of Medicine, University of Zambia,
       Department of; Paediatrics and Child Health, Lusaka.
 SO    Arch Dis Child. 1995 Aug;73(2):100-4; discussion 104-5. Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/96005744
 AB    Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) related cancers in children are not
       as common and as well described as in adults. An HIV epidemic has been
       prevalent in Zambia since 1983-1984. To study the effect of the epidemic
       on the epidemiology of cancers in children a retrospective study was
       undertaken at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), Lusaka, Zambia.
       All the histopathological records from 1980 to 1992 were reviewed and
       all cases of cancers in children less than 14 years of age were
       analysed. In order to define the effect of the HIV epidemic, the
       epidemiological features of various childhood cancers occurring before
       (during the years 1980-1982) and after (during the years 1990-1992) the
       onset of the HIV epidemic were compared. A significant increase in the
       occurrence of total childhood cancers was found. This is mostly due to a
       highly significant increase in the incidence of paediatric Kaposi's
       sarcoma (p = 0.000016), which is causally related to HIV infection, and
       a significant increase in the incidence of retinoblastoma (p = 0.02),
       which has an unknown relation to HIV infection. Though not yet
       statistically significant, there has also been a gradual and sustained
       increase in the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, nasopharyngeal
       carcinoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. There has been a significant reduction
       in the incidence of Burkitt's lymphoma. A prospective in depth
       epidemiological study of HIV related childhood cancers in Africa is
       urgently needed.
 DE    Adolescence  Child  Child, Preschool  *Disease Outbreaks  Female  Human
       HIV Infections/COMPLICATIONS/*EPIDEMIOLOGY  Incidence  Infant  Infant,
       Newborn  Kidney Neoplasms/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Lymphoma/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Male
       Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Neoplasms/*EPIDEMIOLOGY/VIROLOGY
       Nephroblastoma/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Retrospective Studies  Sarcoma/EPIDEMIOLOGY
       Sarcoma, Kaposi's/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Zambia/EPIDEMIOLOGY  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

