Table I.
Baseline characteristics of CHOP-treated children with Burkitt lymphoma in Lilongwe, Malawi
| Total, n | 73 |
|---|---|
| Male | 48 (65.8) |
| HIV negative | 71 (97.3) |
| Clinical stage | |
| Stage I/II | 12 (16.4) |
| Stage III | 36 (49.3) |
| Stage IV | 25 (34.3) |
| Age, years, median (IQR) | 9.2 (7.1–11.7) |
| Primary site | |
| Abdominal only | 34 (46.6) |
| Facial only | 20 (27.4) |
| Cervical only | 2 (2.7) |
| Multiple sites | 15 (21.1) |
| Other | 2 (2.7) |
| Diagnostic specimen | |
| Cytology | 55 (75.3) |
| Histology | 18 (24.7) |
| CSF involvement | 10/57 (17.5) |
| B symptoms | 67 (91.8) |
| Weight or BMI-for-age z-score <−2‡ | 25 (34.3) |
| Lansky performance status ≤ 70 | 60 (82.2) |
| White blood cell count, 109/l, median (IQR) | 8.6 (6.8–12.1) |
| Absolute neutrophil count, 109/l, median (IQR) | 4.0 (2.8–6.7) |
| Haemoglobin, g/l, median (IQR) | 102 (87–115) |
| Platelet count, 109/l, median (IQR) | 421 (277–561) |
| Lactate dehydrogenase, iu/l, median (IQR)╪ | 628 (366–1349) |
| Lactate dehydrogenase >2x ULN | 24/66 (36.4) |
| Albumin, g/l, median (IQR) | 34 (31–39) |
Values given as number (%) unless indicated otherwise. CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; ULN, upper limit of normal; IQR, interquartile range.
*
CSF staging was not done during a five-month period when intrathecal methotrexate could not be purchased anywhere in Malawi.
‡
Weight was used if aged <5 years and BMI if aged 5 years according to World Health Organization (WHO 2007).
╪
Laboratory upper limit of normal for children is 430 iu/l.