Access to cancer chemotherapy and predictors of early mortality for childhood cancers in Uganda.

Abstract

10070 Background: Although many childhood cancers respond well to chemotherapy, survival among children with cancer in sub-Saharan Africa is poor. Little is known about children’s access to specialized cancer care in SSA or factors contributing to poor early outcomes. We aimed: 1) To estimate the proportion of childhood cancer patients without access to chemotherapy in Uganda; 2) To describe 30-day survival rates and predictors of mortality post diagnosis among children with lymphoma or Kaposi sarcoma (KS), the two most common pediatric cancers in Uganda. Methods: A retrospective study of incident childhood (age< 20 years) cancers diagnosed in Kyandondo County, Uganda from 2006-2009. We compared records of the population-based Kampala Cancer Registry (KCR) and patient records at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI), Uganda’s sole dedicated cancer treatment center. Patient characteristics were compared using Mann-Whitney and Pearson’s chi-square tests. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression models were used to describe mortality. Results: Of the 658 pediatric cases recorded in the KCR, only 238 (36%) presented to UCI. Patients identified in the KCR who did not present for care were more likely to be female, diagnosed in earlier years of the study, and to have a cancer other than KS or lymphoma. Of the 177 lymphoma and KS cases at UCI, 43.7% were Burkitt lymphoma (BL), 32.5% KS, and 23.8% other lymphomas. The post diagnosis 30-day overall survival rate was 77%. In multivariate analysis, age, gender, HIV status, platelets, and stage of cancer did not impact mortality. An increased risk of death at 30 days was predicted by presence of B-symptoms (HR=10.3, p=0.05), a diagnosis of BL compared to other lymphomas (HR=14.8, p=0.007), poor performance status (Karnofsky score <70, HR=14.7, p<0.001), and anemia (HR 1.5-fold per 1g/dL decrease in hemoglobin, p=0.002). Conclusions: Childhood cancer patients in Uganda have limited access to comprehensive care. Among those presenting to the UCI, a significant proportion die before they can benefit from chemotherapy. BL diagnosis, B-symptoms, performance status and hemoglobin level may be important predictors of early mortality among childhood cancer patients in sub-Saharan Africa.