Increasing access to conventional cancer treatment (CT) in low-income countries (LICs) is an important public health initiative to address the global burden of cancer. However, LICs have a high ...prevalence of use of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM). It is important to consider the factors that influence a patient's choice to use T&CM, CT, or both for their cancer treatment.
We conducted focus groups among adult cancer patients in Lilongwe, Malawi to identify facilitators and barriers of T&CM use. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, translated, and underwent thematic content analysis.
Cultural norms, T&CM access, T&CM success, and CT failure were all identified as facilitators to T&CM use. CT success and T&CM failure were identified as barriers. Access and norms appear to determine initial treatment selection, while treatment outcomes dictate continued use of T&CM or CT.
This study identified a pragmatic and experience-based treatment selection process that aligns with the social cognitive theory of behavior and assists in comprehending the factors that influence T&CM use among cancer patients in a low resource setting.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Background
Universal access to palliative care remains a distant goal in many low resource settings, despite the growing evidence of its benefits. The unmet need for palliative care is ...evident in Africa, but great strides in palliative care development have occurred in several African countries. Located in sub-Saharan Africa, Malawi has been regarded as an exemplar of progress in this area that is achievable in a low resource region. This scoping review examined the literature on the development and state of palliative care in Malawi according to the pillars of health care policy, medicine availability, education, implementation, research activity, and vitality of professionals and advocates.
Methods
A scoping review was conducted of the MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, CINAHL, Web of Science and PsycINFO databases, as well as grey literature sources. Articles were included if they explored any aspect of palliative care in Malawi.
Results
114 articles were identified that met the inclusion criteria. This literature shows that Malawi has implemented diverse strategies across all pillars to develop palliative care. These strategies include creating a national stand-alone palliative care policy; integrating palliative care into the curricula of healthcare professionals and developing training for diverse service providers; establishing systems for the procurement and distribution of opioids; implementing diverse models of palliative care service delivery; and launching a national palliative care association. Malawi has also generated local evidence to inform palliative care, but several research gaps were identified.
Conclusions
Malawi has made considerable progress in palliative care development, although initiatives are needed to improve medicine availability, access in rural areas, and socioeconomic support for patients and their families living with advanced disease. Culturally sensitive research is needed regarding the quality of palliative care and the impact of therapeutic interventions.
IntroductionEvaluating the quality of dying and death is essential to ensure high-quality end-of-life care. The Quality of Dying and Death (QODD) scale is the best-validated measure of the construct, ...but many items are not relevant to participants, particularly in low-resource settings. The aim of this multisite cross-sectional study is to develop and validate the QODD-Revised Global Version (QODD-RGV), to enhance ease of completion and relevance in higher-resource and lower-resource settings.Methods and analysisThis study will be a two-arm, multisite evaluation of the cultural relevance, reliability and validity of the QODD-RGV across four participating North American hospices and a palliative care site in Malawi, Africa. Bereaved caregivers and healthcare providers of patients who died at a participating North American hospice and bereaved caregivers of patients who died of cancer at the Malawian palliative care site will complete the QODD-RGV and validation measures. Cognitive interviews with subsets of North American and Malawian caregivers will assess the perceived relevance of the scale items. Psychometric evaluations will include internal consistency and convergent and concurrent validity.Ethics and disseminationThe North American arm received approval from the University Health Network Research Ethics Board (21-5143) and the University of North Carolina Institutional Review Board (21-1172). Ethics approval for the Malawi arm is being obtained from the University of North Carolina Institutional Review Board and the Malawian National Health Science Research Committee. Study findings will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations.
There are no prospective studies of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) treated with CHOP in sub-Saharan Africa. We enrolled adults with aggressive NHL in Malawi between June 2013 and May 2015. ...Chemotherapy and supportive care were standardized, and HIV+ patients received antiretroviral therapy (ART). Thirty-seven of 58 patients (64%) were HIV+. Median age was 47 years (IQR 39-56), and 35 (60%) were male. Thirty-five patients (60%) had stage III/IV, 43 (74%) B symptoms, and 28 (48%) performance status ≥ 2. B-cell NHL predominated among HIV+ patients, and all T-cell NHL occurred among HIV- individuals. Thirty-one HIV+ patients (84%) were on ART for a median 9.9 months (IQR 1.1-31.7) before NHL diagnosis, median CD4 was 121 cells/μL (IQR 61-244), and 43% had suppressed HIV RNA. HIV+ patients received a similar number of CHOP cycles compared to HIV- patients, but more frequently developed grade 3/4 neutropenia (84% vs 31%, p = 0.001), resulting in modestly lower cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin doses with longer intervals between cycles. Twelve-month overall survival (OS) was 45% (95% CI 31-57%). T-cell NHL (HR 3.90, p = 0.017), hemoglobin (HR 0.82 per g/dL, p = 0.017), albumin (HR 0.57 per g/dL, p = 0.019), and IPI (HR 2.02 per unit, p<0.001) were associated with mortality. HIV was not associated with mortality, and findings were similar among patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Twenty-three deaths were from NHL (12 HIV+, 11 HIV-), and 12 from CHOP (9 HIV+, 3 HIV-). CHOP can be safe, effective, and feasible for aggressive NHL in Malawi with and without HIV.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
There are no clinical trials involving patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in sub-Saharan Africa since antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV became widely available in this region. We ...aimed to establish the safety and efficacy of rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in patients with DLBCL in Malawi.
This prospective, single-arm, non-randomised phase 1/2 clinical trial was done at Kamuzu Central Hospital Cancer Clinic (Lilongwe, Malawi). Eligible patients were adults (aged 18–60 years) with newly diagnosed DLBCL, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–2, a CD4 count of 100 cells per μL or higher (if HIV-positive), measurable disease by physical examination, an absolute neutrophil count of 1000 × 109 cells per L or higher, a platelet count of 100 × 109 platelets per L or higher, a serum creatinine concentration of 132·60 μmol/L or less, a total bilirubin concentration of 34·21 μmol/L or less, a negative urine pregnancy test in women of childbearing potential, and no previous cytotoxic therapy. Pregnant or breastfeeding women, and individuals with CNS involvement from DLBCL, chronic hepatitis B infection (unless they were receiving tenofovir plus lamivudine), or any other comorbidities that would compromise the protocol objectives were excluded. Eligible patients received intravenous rituximab 375 mg/m2, cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2, doxorubicin 50 mg/m2, and vincristine 1·4 mg/m2 (maximum 2 mg/m2), and oral prednisone 100 mg or an equivalent drug every 21 days for up to six cycles. HIV-positive patients received concurrent ART. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grade 3 or 4 non-haematological toxic effects or treatment-related deaths after six cycles of treatment. Secondary efficacy outcomes included the proportion of patients with a complete response after six cycles of treatment, and progression-free survival and overall survival at 12 months and 24 months. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02660710.
Between Aug 1, 2016, and July 31, 2019, 76 patients were screened, of whom 37 were eligible for the study and received R-CHOP. The median age of patients was 44 years (IQR 39–49) and 16 (43%) were women. Of all 37 patients, 20 (54%) had stage III or IV DLBCL, and the age-adjusted international prognostic index was 2 or higher in 25 (68%) patients. 27 (73%) patients were HIV-positive, with a median CD4 count of 208 cells per μL (IQR 144–422), and 21 (78%) patients were receiving ART at enrolment. Patients completed a median of six cycles (IQR 4–6). Grade 3 or 4 non-haematological toxic effects were reported in 12 (32% 95% CI 19–49) patients, the most common of which was infection (nine 24% patients). Of 16 (43%) deaths, ten were due to progression of DLBCL, four were due to treatment-related complications, and two were due to other causes, yielding a treatment-related mortality of 11% (95% CI 4–26%). Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia was observed in 26 (70%) patients, and grade 3 or 4 anaemia was observed in 11 (29%) patients. A total of 22 (59%) patients had a complete response. Overall survival was 68% (95% CI 50–80) at 12 months and 55% (37–70) at 24 months, and progression-free survival was 59% (42–73) at 12 months and 53% (35–68) at 24 months.
R-CHOP could be feasible, safe, and efficacious in patients with DLBCL in Malawi. This is the first completed clinical trial on DLBCL focused on sub-Saharan African populations. Given the paucity of data on treatment of DLBCL from this region, these results could inform emerging cancer treatment programmes in sub-Saharan Africa.
The University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Background
Contemporary descriptions of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) are lacking from sub‐Saharan Africa where human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) are prevalent.
...Methods
We describe a prospective cHL cohort in Malawi enrolled from 2013 to 2015. Patients received standardized treatment and evaluation, including HIV status and EBV testing of tumors and plasma.
Results
Among 31 patients with confirmed cHL, the median age was 19 years (range, 2–51 years) and 22 (71%) were male. Sixteen patients (52%) had stage III/IV, 25 (81%) B symptoms, and 16 (52%) performance status impairment. Twenty‐three patients (74%) had symptoms >6 months, and 11 of 29 (38%) had received empiric antituberculosis treatment. Anemia was common with median hemoglobin 8.2 g/dL (range, 3.1‐17.1 g/dL), which improved during treatment. No children and 5 of 15 adults (33%) were HIV+. All HIV+ patients were on antiretroviral therapy for a median 15 months (range, 2–137 months), with median CD4 count 138 cells/μL (range, 23–329 cells/μL) and four (80%) having undetectable HIV. EBV was present in 18 of 24 (75%) tumor specimens, including 14 of 20 (70%) HIV− and 4 of 4 (100%) HIV+. Baseline plasma EBV DNA was detected in 25 of 28 (89%) patients, with median viral load 4.7 (range, 2.0–6.7) log10copies/mL, and subsequently declined in most patients. At 12 months, overall survival was 75% (95% confidence interval CI, 55%–88%) and progression‐free survival 65% (95% CI, 42%–81%). Baseline plasma EBV DNA and persistent viremia during treatment were associated with poorer outcomes.
Conclusion
cHL in Malawi is characterized by delayed diagnosis and advanced disease. Most cases were EBV associated and one‐third of adults were HIV+. Despite resource limitations, 12‐month outcomes were good.
Oncology teams are encouraged to include patient preferences and goals of care in determining appropriate treatment courses. There are no existing data from Malawi exploring decision-making ...preferences among cancer patients.
In the oncology clinic in Lilongwe, Malawi, 50 patients were surveyed for decision making.
Most participants (70%,
= 35) preferred to engage in shared decision making regarding cancer treatment. About half (52%,
= 24) did not feel that their medical team involved them in decision making and 64% (
= 32) felt that they were never or only sometimes listened to by the medical team. Nearly all (94%,
= 47) preferred to have their medical team inform them how likely treatments are to lead to cure.
Shared decision making was the preferred mode of treatment decision making by the majority of the surveyed cancer patients in Malawi. Cancer patients in Malawi may have similar preferences to cancer patients in other low-resource settings regarding decision making and communication.
Aggressive non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is among the most common cancers in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), where CHOP is standard treatment and outcomes are poor. To address this, we treated 17 newly ...diagnosed adult patients in Malawi with Burkitt (n = 8), plasmablastic (n = 8), and primary effusion lymphoma (n = 1) with a modified EPOCH regimen between 2016 and 2019. Twelve patients (71%) were male and the median age was 40 years (range 16‐63). Eleven (65%) were HIV infected, median CD4 count was 218 cells/µL (range 9‐460), and nine (82%) had suppressed HIV RNA < 400 copies/mL. Patients received a median of six cycles (range 2‐8) and median follow‐up was 14 months (range 2‐34) among patients still alive. Grade 3/4 neutropenia was observed in 26% of cycles and in 65% of patients. Sixteen (94%) responded to EPOCH and 10 (59%) achieved a complete response. One‐year overall survival (OS) was 62% (95% confidence interval CI, 42%‐91%). Five patients (29%) died from progressive NHL and three (18%) from treatment‐related complications. These data suggest EPOCH with setting‐appropriate modifications may be a practical, safe, and effective option for improving high‐risk NHL outcomes in Malawi and comparable settings, which deserves further prospective evaluation.
We evaluated the safety and efficacy of EPOCH, with modifications as required for local administration, for patients with high‐risk NHL in Malawi. We treated 17 newly diagnosed adult patients in Malawi with Burkitt (n = 8), plasmablastic (n = 8), and primary effusion lymphoma (n = 1) with a modified EPOCH regimen between 2016 and 2019. Our experience suggests that EPOCH with setting‐appropriate modifications may be a practical, safe, and effective option for improving high‐risk NHL outcomes in Malawi and comparable settings, which deserves further prospective evaluation.
Lymphoma is highly associated with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which contributes to worse outcomes relative to resource-rich settings, and frequent failure of first-line chemotherapy. However, ...there are no second-line treatment descriptions for adults with relapsed or refractory lymphoma (RRL) in SSA.
We describe HIV+ and HIV- patients with RRL receiving salvage chemotherapy in Malawi. Patients were prospectively treated at a national teaching hospital in Lilongwe, with the modified EPIC regimen (etoposide, prednisolone, ifosfamide, cisplatin) between June 2013 and May 2016, after failing prior first-line chemotherapy.
Among 21 patients (18 relapsed, 3 refractory), median age was 40 years (range 16-78), 12 (57%) were male. Thirteen patients (62%) were HIV+, of whom 12 (92%) were on antiretroviral therapy (ART) at initiation of salvage chemotherapy, with median CD4 cell count 139 cells/μL (range 12-529) and 11 (85%) with suppressed HIV RNA. Median number of EPIC cycles was 3 (range 1-6), and the commonest toxicity was grade 3/4 neutropenia in 19 patients (90%). Fifteen patients responded (3 complete, 12 partial, overall response rate 71%), but durations were brief. Median overall survival was 4.5 months 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4-5.6. However, three patients, all HIV+, experienced sustained remissions. Tolerability, response, and survival did not differ by HIV status.
The appropriateness and cost-effectiveness of this approach in severely resource-limited environments is uncertain, and multifaceted efforts to improve first-line lymphoma treatment should be emphasized, to reduce frequency with which patients require salvage chemotherapy.
NCT02835911. Registered 19 January 2016.
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