title: [Maxillofacial location of Burkitt's lymphoma in children treated at the University Hospital Center in Bamako, Mali: a 24-case series].
abstract: Burkitt's lymphoma was first described in Africa where it remains one of the most common malignant tumors in children. To our knowledge there have been no large series describing Burkitt's lymphoma involving the maxillofacial area or any other location in Malian children. The purpose of this retrospective single-center study was to describe clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic findings in children treated for maxillofacial Burkitt's lymphoma in the Oncology Unit of the Gabriel Touré Pediatric Hospital in Bamako, Mali from January to December 2006. A total of 38 cases of Burkitt's lymphoma were diagnosed during the study period. This series includes 24 children (63.2%) under the age of 15 years in whom diagnosis of previously untreated maxillofacial Burkitt's lymphoma was confirmed by cytology. All patients were treated using the GFA 2005 protocol for Burkitt's lymphoma. There were 17 boys and 7 girls (sex ratio of 2.4). In all cases the disease was advanced, i.e. stage III in 87.5% and stage IV in 12.5%. Following three cycles of Endoxan in association with 3 injections of metothrexate and hydrocortisone, complete remission was observed in 37.5% and 16.6% were lost from follow-up. Treatment complications after 6 cycles included hematologic toxicity in 71.5% and alopecia in 100%. Most patients (70.8%.) presented no infectious episode. Follow-up examination at one year showed that 29.2% of patients remained in complete remission. Despite limited resources for treatment and surveillance, the survival rate in our series of patients treated for advanced stage Burkitt's lymphoma was about 30%. It is likely that a strategy based on an information campaign to enhance the awareness and knowledge of parents, training of medical and paramedical staff, and improvement of management facilities could further reduce mortality due to Burkitt's lymphoma in Malian children.
authors.affiliation: Service de Pédiatrie, hôpital Gabriel Touré, Bamako, Mali. togoboubacar2000@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Togo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keita
authors.forename: Dai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Medefo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Traore
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sidibe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005153:Facial Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007573:Jaw Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008302:Mali / Q000453:epidemiology; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D008727:Methotrexate