Cancer Incidence following Expansion of HIV Treatment in Botswana

Background: The expansion of combination antiretroviral treatment (ART) in southern Africa has dramatically reduced mortality due to AIDS-related infections, but the impact of ART on cancer incidence in the region is unknown. We sought to describe trends in cancer incidence in Botswana during implementation of the first public ART program in Africa. Methods: We included 8479 incident cases from the Botswana National Cancer Registry during a period of significant ART expansion in Botswana, 2003–2008, when ART coverage increased from 7.3% to 82.3%. We fit Poisson models of age-adjusted cancer incidence and counts in the total population, and in an inverse probability weighted population with known HIV status, over time and estimated ART coverage. Findings: During this period 61.6% of cancers were diagnosed in HIV-infected individuals and 45.4% of all cancers in men and 36.4% of all cancers in women were attributable to HIV. Age-adjusted cancer incidence decreased in the HIV infected population by 8.3% per year (95% CI -14.1 to -2.1%). However, with a progressively larger and older HIV population the annual number of cancers diagnosed remained constant (0.0% annually, 95% CI -4.3 to +4.6%). In the overall population, incidence of Kaposi’s sarcoma decreased (4.6% annually, 95% CI -6.9 to -2.2), but incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (+11.5% annually, 95% CI +6.3 to +17.0%) and HPV-associated cancers increased (+3.9% annually, 95% CI +1.4 to +6.5%). Age-adjusted cancer incidence among individuals without HIV increased 7.5% per year (95% CI +1.4 to +15.2%). Interpretation Expansion of ART in Botswana was associated with decreased age-specific cancer risk. However, an expanding and aging population contributed to continued high numbers of incident cancers in the HIV population. Increased capacity for early detection and treatment of HIV-associated cancer needs to be a new priority for programs in Africa

Seizures associated with fever and psychomotor development in primary health care in Kinshasa

peer reviewedUne étude prospective menée pendant 3 mois dans 2 centres des soins de santé primaires à Kinshasa, a permis de décrire les caractéristiques sémiologiques des Convulsions Fébriles (CF) présentées par 148 patients, âgés de 5 à 71 mois. Les CF ont été décrites en fonction de leur distribution, leur durée et leur répétition éventuelle. Les caractères latéralisés, prolongés et répétitifs étaient considérés comme des facteurs de gravité. Le Quotient de Développement psychomoteur (QDP) des patients a été évalué sur base de l’échelle de Gensini et Gavito, reprenant les domaines de la motricité, de la communication, et de l’adaptation. Le QDP était bas chez 6,7% des patients. 5% avaient un retard dans le domaine de la motricité, 3,4% dans le domaine de la communication, et 2,7% dans celui de l’adaptation. Nous n’avons pas noté de lien significatif entre le QDP global, et les facteurs de gravité des CF. Toutefois, tous les enfants ayant un retard dans le domaine de la motricité, avaient présenté des convulsions répétées avant leur admission: (p=0,02 [OR=1,096 (IC 95%) : 1,060 -1,128)]. La motricité était l’élément le plus significativement atteint chez les malades ayant présenté les CF. Cette observation mérite d’être validée par des études castémoins, incluant un plus grand nombre de sujets.Summary A prospective and descriptive study including 148 children (age: 5-71 months) presenting with febrile seizures (FS) at two Primary Health Care centres in Kinshasa, was conducted over a period of 3 months. Type of seizure (genaralized or focal), its duration, and its characteristic (recurrent or not), were documented, to assess the severity of the disorder. The Psychomotor Development (PMD) of each patient was evaluated, using the Gensini and Gavito scale and then the Psychomotor Development Quotient (PDQ) calculated, according to the motor, communication, and social domains. Main results were: a reduction in PDQ (6.7%), motor delay (5%), communication delay (3.4%), and social delay (2.7%), based on this scale. No significant link was found between global PDQ reduction and markers of FS severity. However, recurrent seizures seemed strongly associated to delayed motor development (p=0.02 [OR=1.096, CI: 1.060-1.128]). These findings suggest that the motor domain could be more affected in children presenting FS, especially those with recurrent seizures. This link needs to be clearly established through larger case-control studies

HIV prevalence and change in incidence for leading cancers.

<p>Note: IP, inverse probability; 95%CI, 95% confidence interval</p><p>^a Quadratic term was significant for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma among HIV-infected individuals—4.5% (95%CI -10.1 to 23.9%) per year and -9.45% (95%CI -19.5 to -1.2%) per year².</p><p>HIV prevalence and change in incidence for leading cancers.</p

Trends in incidence for leading cancers among HIV-infected population.

<p>Estimates from IPW population accounting for changes in overall and age-specific HIV prevalence. Shaded 95% confidence bands from 1000 bootstrap samples. Note: NHL, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma</p

Annual number of cancer diagnoses among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected in Botswana.

<p>Analyses used the IPW population.</p

Overall cancer age-adjusted incidence among HIV-infected (solid) and HIV-uninfected (dotted) individuals.

<p>Analyses utilized the IPW population.</p