HIV infection and domestic smoke exposure, but not human papillomavirus, are risk factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Zambia: a case-control study

(c) 2015 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

COVID-19 and Sudden Unexpected Community Deaths in Lusaka, Zambia, Africa-A Medico-Legal Whole-Body Autopsy Case Series

Background: Data from Africa regarding sudden and unexpected COVID-19 community deaths and underlying pathological, demographic, and co-morbidity features require definition. Methods: We performed a case series of COVID-19-related deaths seen at Forensic Post-Mortem examination of sudden and unexpected Community Deaths in Lusaka, Zambia, Africa. Whole-body Post-Mortem examinations were performed according to Standard Operating Procedures. Patient demographics, history, co-morbidities, pathological gross and microscopic findings, and cause(s) of death were recorded. Variables were grouped as frequencies and percentages. Comparison of data was made with autopsy findings of hospital COVID-19 deaths. Findings: Of 21 COVID-19 decedents, 14/21 (66.7%) were male; 18/21, (85.7%) were below 55 years of age (mean age, 40 ± 12.3; range, 20-73). The median duration of symptoms was 1 day (range 0-2); 9/21 (42.9%) had co-morbidities, with hypertension and obesity being the most common. Main post-mortem findings were diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) (80.9%), saddle and shower emboli (38.1%, respectively), and pneumonia (14.3%). Pulmonary thromboembolism (76.2%), DAD (14.3%), and SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia (9.5%) were common causes of death. Conclusions: COVID-19 is an important cause of death to consider in forensic investigations of sudden and unexpected community deaths. Risk factors for the younger age of COVID-19 deaths and thromboembolism need to be identified

An evaluation of the diagnostic adequacy and immunocytochemistry of manual liquid-based smears in breast aspirates

CITATION: Shibemba, A. L. et al. 2013. An evaluation of the diagnostic adequacy and immunocytochemistry of manual liquid-based smears in breast aspirates. Southern African Journal of Epidemiology and Infection, 28(2):117-121.The original publication is available at http://www.sajei.co.zaThe aim of this study was to determine if the Syner-Med®/Cell-Solutions® liquid-based cytology (LBC) technique would provide adequate diagnostic material when applied to breast fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) specimens and to determine its suitability for immunocytochemistry. A prospective study was undertaken of 38 consecutive patients who underwent FNAB of breast masses in the Fine Needle Aspiration Clinic at Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, over a period of six months. Conventional smear cytology slides (CSC) were formulated and the material that remained in the needle was used to prepare the LBC Syner-Med®/Cell-Solutions® slides. The CSC and LBC slides were evaluated by two pathologists. The assessed parameters were cellularity, background and representative diagnostic material. Immunocytochemical stains for pancytokeratin (MNF-116) and oestrogen receptor were performed in each case. In 33 cases (87%), LBC compared favourably with CSC. Adequacy rates of 84.2% for CSC and 76.3% for LBC were found. A diagnosis was made in 78.9% of the CSC cases and in 71% of the LBC cases. The LBC slides showed excellent results, with immunocytochemical staining for MNF-116 and oestrogen receptor. The Syner-Med®/Cell-Solutions® LBC fixative and preparation method provides an alternative technique for obtaining well fixed and prepared slides that are suitable for diagnostic cytology and immunocytochemistry.http://www.sajei.co.za/index.php/SAJEI/article/view/461Publisher's versio

Minimizing Delays in the Breast Cancer Pathway by Integrating Breast Specialty Care Services at the Primary Health Care Level in Zambia

PURPOSE In Zambia, more than two-thirds of female patients with breast cancer present with late-stage disease, leading to high mortality rates. Most of the underlying causes are associated with delays in symptom recognition and diagnosis. By implementing breast care specialty services at the primary health care level, we hypothesized that some of the delays could be minimized. METHODS In March 2018, we established a breast care specialty clinic for women with symptomatic disease within 1 of the 5 district hospitals in Lusaka. The clinic offers breast self-awareness education, clinical breast examination, breast ultrasound, ultrasound-guided breast biopsy, surgery, referral for chemoradiation, follow-up care, and electronic medical records. RESULTS Between March 2018 and April 2019, of 1,790 symptomatic women who presented to the clinic, 176 (10%) had clinical and/or ultrasound indications for histologic evaluation. Biopsy specimens were obtained using ultrasound-guided core-needle procedures, all of which were performed on the same day as the initial visit. Of the 176 women who underwent biopsy, 112 (64%) had pathologic findings compatible with a primary breast cancer, and of these, 42 (37%) were early-stage (stage I/II) disease. Surgery for early-stage cancers was performed at the district hospital within 2 weeks of the time of definitive pathologic diagnosis. Patients with advanced disease were referred to the national cancer center for multimodality therapy, within a similar time frame. CONCLUSION Breast care specialty services for symptomatic women were established in a district-level hospital in a resource-constrained setting in Africa. As a result, the following time intervals were minimized: initial presentation and performance of clinical diagnostics; receipt of a definitive pathologic diagnosis and initiation of surgery; receipt of a definitive pathologic diagnosis and referral

Post-mortem examination of Hospital Inpatient COVID-19 Deaths in Lusaka, Zambia - A Descriptive Whole-body Autopsy Series

BACKGROUND: Since information on the pathology of COVID-19 from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains scarce, the objective of our study was to define the gross pathology and histological features of COVID-19. We report data from 29 whole-body autopsies of COVID-19 deaths occurring in hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia - the first large autopsy case series from Africa. METHODS: We performed a descriptive post-mortem examination study of inpatient COVID-19 related deaths at two hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. Whole-body autopsies were conducted according to Standard Operating Procedures. Gross and histopathological examinations of all organs were performed. Patient demographics, history, co-morbidities, autopsy gross and microscopic findings, and cause(s) of death were recorded and analyzed using STATA version 14. Variables were grouped and presented as frequencies and percentages. FINDINGS: Autopsies were performed on 29 decedents (mean age = 44 ± 15.8years; age range = 19-82; 17/29 [58.8%] males). 22/29 [75.9%] cases were <55 years of age. A spectrum of pathological manifestations of COVID-19 were seen in all organs. The commonest causes of death were pulmonary thromboembolism (13/29, 45%), Diffuse Alveolar Damage (9/29, 31%), and COVID-19 pneumonia (7/29, 25%). 22/29 (76%) had co-morbidities. Common co-morbidities included HIV (8/29, 28%), Hypertension (6/29, 20%) Tuberculosis (3/29, 10%), Diabetes (3/29, 10%). CONCLUSIONS: A spectrum of gross anatomical and histopathological findings are seen in COVID-19 deaths in hospitalized decedents. These appear broadly similar to those reported from China, Europe and USA. Differences include a younger age group, and co-morbidities of HIV and TB co-infection which require further investigation

Incidental Tuberculosis in sudden, unexpected, and violent deaths in the community Lusaka, Zambia - A descriptive forensic post-mortem examination study

Objectives: Tuberculosis remains a global emergency. In Zambia only 55% of tuberculosis cases are diagnosed. We performed a study to determine incidental cases of tuberculosis seen at forensic autopsy of individuals who died suddenly and unexpectedly in the community in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods: Whole-body autopsies were performed according to Standard Operating Procedures. Representative samples obtained from relevant organs were subjected to pathological examination. Information on circumstances surrounding the death was obtained. Data on patient demographics, gross and microscopic pathological findings, and cause(s) of death were analysed. Results: Incidental tuberculosis was found in 52 cases (45 male, 7 female, age range 14-66) out of 4286 whole-body autopsies. 41/52 (80%) were aged 21-50 years. One was a 14-year old boy who died during a football match. 39/52 (75%) deaths were attributable specifically to tuberculosis only. Other deaths were due to acute alcohol intoxication(4), violence(7), ruptured ectopic pregnancy(1), bacterial meningitis (1). All the cases were from poor socio-economic backgrounds and lived in high-density areas of Lusaka. Conclusions: Incidental cases of active tuberculosis undiagnosed antemortem seen at forensic autopsy reflects major gaps in the national TB control programs. More investments into proactive screening, testing, treatment activities, and accurate data collection are required

Tuberculosis at post-mortem in inpatient adults at a tertiary referral centre in sub-Saharan Africa - A prospective descriptive autopsy study

Background: The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 3 million cases of tuberculosis (TB) are missed every year. Identification and treatment of these are critical to achieving global TB control. Patients with sub-clinical TB, extra-pulmonary TB, and drug-resistant TB are difficult to diagnose and may be missed at all points of healthcare. An autopsy study was conducted to ascertain the burden of TB at post-mortem in adults who died in the inpatient general medical wards at a tertiary care referral center in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods: Complete whole body autopsies were performed on 125 adult inpatients. Pathological examination involved two stages: (1) Gross pathology was recorded, and samples were taken from all organs for histopathology and cryopreservation; and (2) Histopathological examination of tissue after appropriate staining. Specific pathology and diseases identified on examination were recorded. Lung tissues were processed using the GeneXpert MTB/RIF Assay. Primary outcome measures were specific diseases stratified by HIV status. Secondary outcomes were missed TB and drug-resistant TB cases. Findings: Of 125 adults, median age 35. years (IQR: 29-43), 80 (64%) were male and 101 (80.8%) were HIV-positive. Tuberculosis was the most common finding at autopsy with 78/125 cases (62.4%), of which 66/78 (84.6%) were HIV-infected. There were 35/78 cases (44.9%) with extra-pulmonary TB, the odds of which were higher among HIV-infected cases (aOR 5.14 (95% CI: 1.04-25.4), p=. 0.045); 25.6% (20/78) of the TB cases were not diagnosed ante-mortem; and 13/78 (16.7%) of the TB cases had undiagnosed MDR-TB. Other autopsy findings included: pyogenic pneumonia 36.8% (46/125); bacterial meningitis 7.2% (9/125); cardiac failure 7.2% (9/125); and malignancies 8.8% (11/125). Prevalence of HIV did not differ between TB and non-TB cases (84.6% vs. 74.5%: p=. 0.163). Interpretation: TB remains an important cause of death in adult inpatients. A substantial number of inpatients with TB and MDR-TB are not diagnosed by the current cascade of healthcare. Inpatient settings in high TB endemic countries should be included in WHO 'high risk' groups, and heightened clinical awareness and more proactive screening for TB and MDR-TB in all inpatients should be required

Demonstration of an algorithm to overcome health system-related barriers to timely diagnosis of breast diseases in rural Zambia

Background Long delays to diagnosis is a major cause of late presentation of breast diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Aims We designed and implemented a single-visit breast care algorithm that overcomes health system-related barriers to timely diagnosis of breast diseases. Methods A multidisciplinary team of Zambian healthcare experts trained a team of mid- and high-level Zambian healthcare practitioners how to evaluate women for breast diseases, and train trainers to do likewise. Working collaboratively, the two teams then designed a clinical platform that provides multiple breast care services within a single visit. The service platform was implemented using a breast outreach camp format, during which breast self-awareness, psychosocial counseling, clinical breast examination, breast ultrasound, ultrasound-guided biopsy, imprint cytology of biopsy specimens and surgical treatment or referral, were offered within a single visit. Results Eleven hundred and twenty-nine (1129) women attended the camps for breast care. Mean age was 35.9 years. The majority were multiparous (79.4%), breast-fed (76.0%), and reported hormone use (50.4%). Abnormalities were detected on clinical breast examination in 122 (10.8%) women, 114 of whom required ultrasound. Of the 114 who underwent ultrasound, 48 had identifiable lesions and were evaluated with ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy (39) or fine-needle aspiration (9). The concordance between imprint cytology and histopathology was 100%, when breast specimens were classified as either benign or malignant. However, when specimens were classified by histopathologic subtype, the concordance between imprint cytology and histology was 85.7% for benign and 100% for malignant lesions. Six (6) women were diagnosed with invasive cancer. Eighteen (18) women with symptomatic breast lesions had next-day surgery. Significance Similar to its impact on cervical cancer prevention services, a single visit breast care algorithm has the potential to overcome health system-related barriers to timely diagnosis of breast diseases, including cancer, in rural African settings

Drivers of advanced stage at breast cancer diagnosis in the multicountry African breast cancer – disparities in outcomes (ABC-DO) study

Breast cancer (BC) survival rates in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are low in part due to advanced stage at diagnosis. As one component of a study of the entire journey of SSA women with BC, we aimed to identify shared and setting-specific drivers of advanced stage BC. Women newly diagnosed in the multicountry African Breast Cancer–Disparities in Outcomes (ABC-DO) study completed a baseline interview and their stage information was extracted from medical records. Ordinal logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for advanced stage (I, II, III, IV) in relation to individual woman-level, referral and biological factors. A total of 1795 women were included from Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, and the multiracial populations of Namibia and South Africa, 1091 of whom (61%) were stage III/IV. Stage was lower in women with greater BC knowledge (OR 0.77 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.85) per point on a 6 point scale). More advanced stage was associated with being black (4.00 (2.79, 5.74)), having attended <secondary education (1.75 (1.42, 2.16)), having never heard of BC (1.64 (1.31, 2.06)), an unskilled job (1.77 (1.43, 2.20)) and pregnancy in the past 3 years (30% of ≤45 year olds) (1.63 (1.15, 2.31)), and were mediated through delays to diagnosis: symptom duration of ≥ 1 year (OR 2.47 (1.93, 3.15)). These findings provide further evidence that late-stage BC in SSA is largely attributed to modifiable factors and strategies to improve BC education and awareness in women and the health system should be intensified

First COVID-19 Case in Zambia - Comparative phylogenomic analyses of SARS-CoV-2 detected in African countries

Since its first discovery in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has spread rapidly worldwide. Whilst African countries were relatively spared initially, the initial low incidence of COVID-19 cases was not sustained for long due to continuing travel links between China, Europe and Africa.. In preparation, Zambia had applied a multisectoral national epidemic disease surveillance and response system resulting in the identification of the first case within 48 hours of the individual entering the country by air travel from a trip to France. Contact tracing showed that SARS-CoV-2 infection was contained within the patient's household, with no further spread to attending health care workers or community members. Phylogenomic analysis of the patient's SARS-CoV-2 strain showed it belonged to lineage B.1.1., sharing the last common ancestor with SARS-CoV-2 strains recovered from South Africa. At the African continental level, our analysis showed that lineage B.1 and B.1.1 lineages appear to be predominant in Africa. Whole genome sequence analysis should be part of all surveillance and case detection activities in order to monitor the origin and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 lineages across Africa