Human leukocyte antigen-DQA1*04:01 and rs2040406 variants are associated with elevated risk of childhood Burkitt lymphoma.

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is responsible for many childhood cancers in sub-Saharan Africa, where it is linked to recurrent or chronic infection by Epstein-Barr virus or Plasmodium falciparum. However, whether human leukocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphisms, which regulate immune response, are associated with BL has not been well investigated, which limits our understanding of BL etiology. Here we investigate this association among 4,645 children aged 0-15 years, 800 with BL, enrolled in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Malawi.

Genotypes and Risk of Childhood Burkitt Lymphoma in East Africa.

Interferon lambda 4 (IFN-λ4) is a novel type-III interferon that can be expressed only by carriers of the genetic variant rs368234815-dG within the first exon of the gene. Genetic inability to produce IFN-λ4 (in carriers of the rs368234815-TT/TT genotype) has been associated with improved clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The IFN-λ4-expressing rs368234815-dG allele (-dG) is most common (up to 78%) in West sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), compared to 35% of Europeans and 5% of individuals from East Asia.

Burkitt lymphoma risk shows geographic and temporal associations with infections in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya.

Endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL) is a pediatric cancer coendemic with malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, suggesting an etiological link between them. However, previous cross-sectional studies of limited geographic areas have not found a convincing association. We used spatially detailed data from the Epidemiology of Burkitt Lymphoma in East African Children and Minors (EMBLEM) study to assess this relationship.

Epstein-Barr Virus in Burkitt Lymphoma in Africa Reveals a Limited Set of Whole Genome and Sequence Patterns: Analysis of Archival Datasets and Field Samples From Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya.

Unlabelled: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL), but the contribution of EBV variants is ill-defined. Studies of EBV whole genome sequences (WGS) have identified phylogroups that appear to be distinct for Asian versus non-Asian EBV, but samples from BL or Africa, where EBV was first discovered, are under-represented. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis of EBV WGS and sequences obtained primarily from BL patients in Africa and representative non-African EBV from other conditions or regions using data from GenBank, Sequence Read Archive, or Genomic Data Commons for the Burkitt Lymphoma Genome Sequencing Project (BLGSP) to generate data to support the use of a simpler biomarker of geographic or phenotypic associations.

Extremely high birth prevalence of sickle cell disease in rural Tanzania.

Background/objectives: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an important, hidden cause of childhood mortality worldwide. It is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa where national newborn screening programs remain unavailable and most children in rural areas are never diagnosed. We conducted a study at a rural district hospital in northern Tanzania to determine the birth prevalence and community awareness of SCD and to determine the feasibility of using point-of-care testing to enroll newborns in a new SCD clinic for ongoing treatment.

Mean platelet counts are relatively decreased with malaria but relatively increased with endemic Burkitt Lymphoma in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya.

Platelet counts are decreased in Plasmodium falciparum malaria, which is aetiologically linked with endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL). However, the pattern of platelet counts in eBL cases is unknown. We studied platelet counts in 582 eBL cases and 2 248 controls enrolled in a case-control study in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya (2010-2016).

Risk factors for Burkitt lymphoma in East African children and minors: A case-control study in malaria-endemic regions in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

Endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL) is the most common childhood cancer in sub-Saharan African countries, however, few epidemiologic studies have been undertaken and none attempted enrolling cases from multiple countries. We therefore conducted a population-based case-control study of eBL in children aged 0-15 years old in six regions in Northern Uganda, Northern Tanzania and Western Kenya, enrolling 862 suspected cases and 2,934 population controls (response rates 98.5-100%), and processing ~40,000 vials of samples using standardized protocols.

Burkitt lymphoma research in East Africa: highlights from the 9(th) African organization for research and training in cancer conference held in Durban, South Africa in 2013.

A one-day workshop on Burkitt lymphoma (BL) was held at the 9(th) African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) conference in 2013 in Durban, South Africa. The workshop featured 15 plenary talks by delegates representing 13 institutions that either fund or implement research on BL targeting AORTIC delegates primarily interested in pediatric oncology. The main outcomes of the meeting were improved sharing of knowledge and experience about ongoing epidemiologic BL research, BL treatment in different settings, the role of cancer registries in cancer research, and opportunities for African scientists to publish in scientific journals.

Incidence and trends in Burkitt lymphoma in northern Tanzania from 2000 to 2009.

Introduction: Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is endemic in parts of Tanzania, but there is scant country or region level data about burden and trends of BL in Tanzania over the past three decades. Here, we update baseline epidemiology of BL in northern Tanzania using recent data.

Procedure: Data for childhood BL diagnosed at six hospitals in Mara and Mwanza regions in northern Tanzania during 2000-2009 were compiled.

African Burkitt lymphoma: age-specific risk and correlations with malaria biomarkers.

African Burkitt lymphoma is an aggressive B-cell, non-Hodgkin lymphoma linked to Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Malaria biomarkers related to onset of African Burkitt lymphoma are unknown. We correlated age-specific patterns of 2,602 cases of African Burkitt lymphoma (60% male, mean ± SD age = 7.