Early doxorubicin cardiotoxicity in Malawian children admitted to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Malawi.

Background: Doxorubicin is known to cause chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity. In resource-poor settings, monitoring for cardiotoxicity is not routinely done, and its incidence is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of children who developed doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity within 1 year of having received treatment at paediatric oncology ward.

Triple therapy of vincristine, bleomycin and etoposide for children with Kaposi sarcoma: Results of a study in Malawian children.

Background: Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is the most common paediatric cancer in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) endemic countries of sub-Saharan Africa, but there is little research on management and outcomes.

Methods: Children with KS at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi treated between August 2012 and March 2015 with six courses of vincristine, bleomycin and etoposide combination chemotherapy, including antiretroviral therapy (ART) if HIV infected, were studied and outcomes compared with previously reported results.

Findings: Fifty-six children were included; 38 (68%) were male; and 48 (86%) were HIV positive, of whom 36 (77%) were on ART at diagnosis.