PATTERN AND OUTCOMES OF CHILDHOOD MALIGNANCIES AT UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR HOSPITAL, ETHIOPIA : NONCONSECUTIVE CASE SERIES

Authors

  • Mulugeta Ayalew
  • Mahlet Abayneh
  • David M.Gordon

Abstract

Background : Childhood malignancy is an increasingly significant problem in low income countries. Despite the burden of the disease, little is known about patterns and outcomes of childhood malignancies in Ethiopia. Objective : To describe the pattern and outcome of childhood malignancies at a teaching hospital in Northwest Ethiopia

Methods: A nonconsecutive case series of children aged ≤14 years admitted with the diagnosis of any malignant cancer to University of Methods: A nonconsecutive case series of children aged ≤14 years admitted with the diagnosis of any malignant cancer to University of Gondar Hospital from September 2011 to September 2014. University of Gondar Hospital is a tertiary care teaching and referral hospital in northwest Ethiopia.

Results: The total number of admissions to the Pediatrics ward during the study period was 4,400. Medical records of 142 cases were reviewed and 110 (2.5%) cases were selected for the study. 67.3 % of them were male. Patient age ranged from 5 months to 14 years (median 6.5 years, IQR 3.2-12.0 years). The peak age at diagnosis was 10 -14 years. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia was the commonest type of malignancy, comprising 30% of cases. Final diagnosis was made by fine needle aspiration for forty-six cases (41.8%). Thirty-nine percent abandoned treatment and 11% died. Multi-organ failure secondary to severe sepsis was the immediate cause of death in 33% of deaths.

Conclusion and recommendation: Malignancies represent a significant proportion of admissions. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the commonest type of malignancy. Further research is required to determine best practices for the management of pediatric malignancies

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Published

2018-12-21

How to Cite

Ayalew, M. ., Abayneh , M. ., & M.Gordon, D. . (2018). PATTERN AND OUTCOMES OF CHILDHOOD MALIGNANCIES AT UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR HOSPITAL, ETHIOPIA : NONCONSECUTIVE CASE SERIES. Ethiopian Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, 13(2). Retrieved from https://ejpch.net/index.php/ejpch/article/view/91