Search

Copyright of Mali Médical is the property of Mali Medical, Faculte de Medecine, de Pharmacie et d'Odonto-stomatologie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Metastatsic tumoral ascites are characterised by the presence of cancerous cells in peritoneal fluid. They are frequent at an advanced stage of cancer. The goal of our work was to study cytology's contribution in the diagnosis of metastatic ascites at the teaching hospital of Point G. Material and methods: It was a 3 years retrospective and prospective study, from January 2013 to December 2015. The study included every ascitic samples containing malignant cells at the teaching hospital of Point G. We looked for clinical informations in the patient's fold to find the primary cancer site, the histological diagnosis and the folllowup. Results: We collected data from 213 patients with ascite. Among them, 61 where malignant (28.6 %). Sixty-six percent (66%) of our patients were women. The most represented range age was from 46 to 60 years with a mean of 57.7 years. Housewives were the most frequent among our patients with a rate of 50.8%. Ovarian cancer was the first site with metastatic ascite (26%). It was followed by liver and stomach with respectively 20% and 18%. Ascite was the first clinical manifestation in 36% patients with cancer. It was isolated in 78%. After 6 months, the mortality rate was 76.6%. Conclusion: The cytology of ascite liquid is an imortant test for the diagnostic of metastatic ascites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mali Médical is the property of Mali Medical, Faculte de Medecine, de Pharmacie et d'Odonto-stomatologie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revue Africaine de Chirurgie et Spécialités is the property of Faculty of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde I, Cameroon and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Mali Médical is the property of Mali Medical, Faculte de Medecine, de Pharmacie et d'Odonto-stomatologie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: To assess population-based quality of cancer care in Sub-Saharan Africa and to identify specific gaps and joint opportunities, we assessed concordance of diagnostic and treatment with NCCN harmonized guidelines for leading cancer types in 10 countries., Methods: Adult patients with female breast cancer (BC), cervical cancer (CC), colorectal cancer (CRC), Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and prostate cancer (PC) were randomly drawn from 11 population-based cancer registries. Guideline concordance of diagnostics and treatment was assessed using clinical records. In a sub-cohort of 906 patients with potentially curable cancer (stage I-III BC, CC, CRC, PC, aggressive NHL (any stage)) and documentation for >1 month after diagnosis, we estimated factors associated with guideline-concordant treatment or minor deviations (GCT)., Findings: Diagnostic information as per guidelines was complete for 1030 (31.7%)of 3246 patients included. In the sub-cohort with curable cancer, GCT was documented in 374 (41.3%, corresponding to 11.7% of 3246 included in the population-based cohort): aggressive NHL (59.8%/9.1% population-based), BC (54.5%/19.0%), PC (39.0%/6.1%), CRC (33.9%/9.5%), and CC (27.8%/11.6%). GCT was most frequent in Namibia (73.1% of curable cancer subset/32.8% population-based) and lowest in Kampala, Uganda (13.5%/3.1%). GCT was negatively associated with poor ECOG status, locally advanced stage, origin from low HDI countries, and a diagnosis of CRC or CC., Interpretation: Quality of diagnostic workup and treatment showed major deficits, with considerable disparities among countries and cancer types. Improved diagnostic services are necessary to increase the share of curable cancer in SSA. Treatment components within NCCN guidelines synergetic for several cancers should be prioritized., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Background: The Cancer Survival in Africa, Asia, and South America project (SURVCAN-3) of the International Agency for Research on Cancer aims to fill gaps in the availability of population-level cancer survival estimates from countries in these regions. Here, we analysed survival for 18 cancers using data from member registries of the African Cancer Registry Network across 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa., Methods: We included data on patients diagnosed with 18 cancer types between Jan 1, 2005, and Dec 31, 2014, from 13 population-based cancer registries in Cotonou (Benin), Abidjan (CÔte d'Ivoire), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Eldoret and Nairobi (Kenya), Bamako (Mali), Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, Eastern Cape (South Africa), Kampala (Uganda), and Bulawayo and Harare (Zimbabwe). Patients were followed up until Dec 31, 2018. Patient-level data including cancer topography and morphology, age and date at diagnosis, vital status, and date of death (if applicable) were collected. The follow-up (survival) time was measured from the date of incidence until the date of last contact, the date of death, or until the end of the study, whichever occurred first. We estimated the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival (observed, net, and age-standardised net survival) by sex, cancer type, registry, country, and human development index (HDI). 1-year and 3-year survival data were available for all registries and all cancer sites, whereas availability of 5-year survival data was slightly more variable; thus to provide medium-term survival prospects, we have focused on 3-year survival in the Results section., Findings: 10 500 individuals from 13 population-based cancer registries in 11 countries were included in the survival analyses. 9177 (87·4%) of 10 500 cases were morphologically verified. Survival from cancers with a high burden and amenable to prevention was poor: the 3-year age-standardised net survival was 52·3% (95% CI 49·4-55·0) for cervical cancer, 18·1% (11·5-25·9) for liver cancer, and 32·4% (27·5-37·3) for lung cancer. Less than half of the included patients were alive 3 years after a cancer diagnosis for eight cancer types (oral cavity, oesophagus, stomach, larynx, lung, liver, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and leukaemia). There were differences in survival for some cancers by sex: survival was longer for females with stomach or lung cancer than males with stomach or lung cancer, and longer for males with non-Hodgkin lymphomas than females with non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Survival did not differ by country-level HDI for cancers of the oral cavity, oesophagus, liver, thyroid, and for Hodgkin lymphoma., Interpretation: For cancers for which population-level prevention strategies exist, and with relatively poor prognosis, these estimates highlight the urgent need to upscale population-level prevention activities in sub-Saharan Africa. These data are vital for providing the knowledge base for advocacy to improve access to prevention, diagnosis, and care for patients with cancers in sub-Saharan Africa., Funding: Vital Strategies, the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer., Translations: For the French and Portuguese translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests. Where authors are identified as personnel of the International Agency for Research on Cancer and WHO, the authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this Article and they do not necessarily represent the decisions, policy, or views of the International Agency for Research on Cancer and WHO., (This is an Open Access article published under the CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO license which permits users to download and share the article for non-commercial purposes, so long as the article is reproduced in the whole without changes, and provided the original source is properly cited. This article shall not be used or reproduced in association with the promotion of commercial products, services or any entity. There should be no suggestion that WHO endorses any specific organisation, products or services. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. This notice should be preserved along with the article's original URL.)

The WHO affirms that trained, supervised, and supported community health workers (CHWs) can deliver high-quality health services effectively and has called for documentation of enabling factors, needs, and implementation strategies of successful CHW programs. In response, the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative Impact Malaria Project conducted a study to document implementation approaches, best practices, and lessons learned for quality improvement (QI) of community-based fever management in Madagascar, Malawi, and Mali. The team conducted 10 key informant interviews (KIIs) with individuals at national, regional, and district levels using an open-ended interview guide tailored to each level, and a desk review of documents and materials related to community-based QI. Each country's community health landscape and QI approaches were summarized into four categories identified during the KIIs (training, supervision, coaching/mentoring, and review meetings) and compared. Results found that Madagascar, Malawi, and Mali all had well-defined community health strategies that include QI, but countries could not extend their full package of community-based QI approaches to all CHWs as a result of limited human and financial resources. Vertical funding for health programs limits the scope and coverage of QI approaches, especially at the community level. Recommendations from key informants for strengthening community-based QI included integrating QI approaches to improve cost efficiency, to define roles and responsibilities more clearly, to engage communities and all health system levels in implementation, and to digitize QI tools. Increased financial and skilled human resources are needed for community-based QI activities to achieve their intended effect.

Improving the quality of malaria clinical case management in health facilities is key to improving health outcomes in patients. The U.S. President's Malaria Initiative Impact Malaria Project has supported implementation of the Outreach Training and Supportive Supervision (OTSS) approach in 11 African countries to improve the quality of malaria care in health facilities through the collection and analysis of observation-based data on health facility readiness and health provider competency in malaria case management. We conducted a secondary analysis of longitudinal data collected during routine supervision in Cameroon (April 2021-March 2022), Mali (October 2020-December 2021), and Niger (November 2020-September 2021) using digitized checklists to assess how service readiness affects health worker competencies in managing patients with fever correctly and providing those with confirmed uncomplicated malaria cases with appropriate treatment and referral. Linear or logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the effect of facility readiness and its components on observed health worker competencies. All countries demonstrated significant associations between health facility readiness and malaria case management competencies. Data from three rounds of OTSS visits in Cameroon, Mali, and Niger showed a statistically significant positive association between greater facility readiness scores (including the availability of commodities, materials, and trained staff) and health worker competency in case management. These findings provide evidence that health worker performance is likely affected by the tools and training available to them. These results reinforce the need for necessary tools and properly trained staff if high-quality malaria case management services are to be delivered at health facilities.

Background: Primary liver cancer is common in West Africa due to endemic risk factors. However, epidemiological studies of the global burden and trends of liver cancer are limited. We report changes in trends of the incidence of liver cancer over a period of 28 years using the population-based cancer registry of Bamako, Mali., Aim: To assess the trends and patterns of liver cancer by gender and age groups by analyzing the cancer registration data accumulated over 28 years (1987-2015) of activity of the population-based registry of the Bamako district., Methods: Data obtained since the inception of the registry in 1987 through 2015 were stratified into three periods (1987-1996, 1997-2006, and 2007-2015). Age-standardized rates were estimated by direct standardization using the world population. Incidence rate ratios and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using the early period as the reference (1987-1996). Joinpoint regression models were used to assess the annual percentage change and highlight trends over the entire period (from 1987 to 2015)., Results: Among males, the age-standardized incidence rates significantly decreased from 19.41 (1987-1996) to 13.12 (1997-2006) to 8.15 (2007-2015) per 10 5 person-years. The incidence rate ratio over 28 years was 0.42 (95%CI: 0.34-0.50), and the annual percentage change was -4.59 [95%CI: (-6.4)-(-2.7)]. Among females, rates dropped continuously from 7.02 (1987-1996) to 2.57 (2007-2015) per 10 5 person-years, with an incidence rate ratio of 0.37 (95%CI: 0.28-0.45) and an annual percentage change of -5.63 [95%CI: (-8.9)-(-2.3)]., Conclusion: The population-based registration showed that the incidence of primary liver cancer has steadily decreased in the Bamako district over 28 years. This trend does not appear to result from biases or changes in registration practices. This is the first report of such a decrease in an area of high incidence of liver cancer in Africa. This decrease may be explained by the changes and diversity of diet that could reduce exposure to aflatoxins through dietary contamination in this population., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article., (©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Excessive consumption of red and processed meat has been associated with a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer. There are many attempts to explain the risk of colorectal cancer associated with the consumption of red and processed meat: The temperature cooking of meat such as grilling and smoking contribute to the formation of mutagenic compounds including heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.Heme iron in red meat is involved in the formation of N-nitroso compounds and lipid peroxidation products in the digestive tract.Fatty red meat is involved in the production of secondary bile acids by the bacteria of the gut microbiota. Many of the products formed are genotoxic and can cause DNA damage and initiate carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer. Various mechanisms contributing to their genotoxic role have been established in human and animal studies. In addition, there is increasing evidence that compounds formed from red and processed meat interact with the gut microbiota in colorectal cancer pathways. Although several early studies in animals and humans suggest a direct causal role of the gut microbiota in the development of colorectal cancer, the links between diet, gut microbiota, and colonic carcinogenesis are largely associations rather than proven causal relationships. Various biological mechanisms, including inflammation and oxidative stress can lead to DNA damage, gut dysbiosis, and therefore increase the risk of colorectal cancer. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota may increase the risk of colorectal cancer through dietary component promotion of colonic carcinogenesis. In this paper, we review and update current knowledge about the relationships between red meat consumption, gut microbiota, and colorectal cancer., Competing Interests: COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, little is known about the actual therapy received by women with BC and their survival outcome at the population level in SSA. This study aims to describe the cancer-directed therapy received by patients with BC at the population level in SSA, compare these results with the NCCN Harmonized Guidelines for SSA (NCCN Harmonized Guidelines), and evaluate the impact on survival., Methods: Random samples of patients with BC (≥40 patients per registry), diagnosed from 2009 through 2015, were drawn from 11 urban population-based cancer registries from 10 countries (Benin, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe). Active methods were used to update the therapy and outcome data of diagnosed patients ("traced patients"). Excess hazards of death by therapy use were modeled in a relative survival context., Results: A total of 809 patients were included. Additional information was traced for 517 patients (63.8%), and this proportion varied by registry. One in 5 traced patients met the minimum diagnostic criteria (cancer stage and hormone receptor status known) for use of the NCCN Harmonized Guidelines. The hormone receptor status was unknown for 72.5% of patients. Of the traced patients with stage I-III BC (n=320), 50.9% received inadequate or no cancer-directed therapy. Access to therapy differed by registry area. Initiation of adequate therapy and early-stage diagnosis were the most important determinants of survival., Conclusions: Downstaging BC and improving access to diagnostics and care are necessary steps to increase guideline adherence and improve survival for women in SSA. It will also be important to strengthen health systems and facilities for data management in SSA to facilitate patient follow-up and disease surveillance.

Background: Prostate cancer is the leading cancer in men in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) regarding incidence and mortality. Published data from a few registries in SSA suggest that the rates are still rising, but there is little comprehensive information on the time trends of prostate cancer incidence., Methods: We analyzed registry data on 13,170 incident prostate cancer cases in men aged 40 years or above, from 12 population-based cancer registries in 11 SSA countries, with at least a 10-year time span of comparable data., Results: We observed an increase in cumulative risks (CR) and age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) over time in all registries (statistically significant in all but one). The highest values of CR were found in Seychelles and Harare (Zimbabwe). The highest annual increase in the ASRs was seen in Seychelles and Eastern Cape (South Africa), whereas the lowest was seen in Mauritius. We mainly found a steady increase in incidence with age and during successive periods., Conclusions: This analysis reveals that prostate cancer incidence rates are rising in many populations in SSA-often very rapidly-which is in contrast to recent observations worldwide. We acknowledge that the reasons are multifactorial and largely remain unclear, but believe that they are primarily associated with improvements in health care systems, for example, a broader use of prostate-specific antigen testing., Impact: This study is the first to compare population-level data on time trends of prostate cancer incidence between multiple countries of SSA, presenting the different rates of increase in 11 of them., (©2020 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Objectives: to identify the main causative agents of infection associated with care and their susceptibility to antibiotics used and to identify risk factors for care-associated infection., Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with prospective data collection, conducted from 1 November 2016 to 1 April 2017 among all children admitted to the pediatric surgery department. Non-consenting parents and cases of necrosectomy were included in this study., Results: Our study involved 200 patients, 30 of whom presented a care-associated infection (15% infection rate). The average age of patients with infection was 56.33 ± 48.66 months (1 and 180 months). The main pathogens responsible for infection of the operative site were: Escherischia coli (4 cases), Acinetobacterbaumanii (3 cases), Klebsiella pneumoniae (2 cases), Staphylococcus aureus (2 cases), Enterobacter cloacae (1case), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1 case) and Enterobacter faecalis (1 case). In the burned patients, the organisms found were: Acinetobacter baumanii (7 cases), Klebsiella pneumoniae (6 cases), Staphylococcus aureus (6 cases), Escherischia coli (4 cases), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2 cases) and Enterobacter faecalis (2 cases). Escherichia coli was noted in urinary tract infection. Antibiotics tested were amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ceftriaxone, imipenem, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin. The mode of recruitment and the duration of hospitalization were the risk factors noted., Conclusion: The infection associated with care is a frequent occurrence in our practice. These infections mainly occur at the operating sites. The germs found were: Acinetobacter, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus. They are all sensitive to imipenem and resistant to amoxicillin. The infection remains formidable in health care. It is essential to give special attention to the prevention of infectious risk, especially in the surgical setting., (Le comité de rédaction se réserve le droit de renvoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de conserver un exemplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Background: Information on pathways of women seeking diagnostic services due to breast- related symptoms can help highlight challenges related to the healthcare system in improving early diagnosis of breast cancer., Methods: We retrospectively analysed the entire patient pathway, from first symptom recognition via initial healthcare visit up to final diagnosis at the pathology service in Mali. Data from questionnaire-based structured patient interviews (n = 124) were used to calculate time to first healthcare visit (median 91 days) and consecutive time to diagnosis (median 21 days) and to extract information on type of initially visited healthcare facility (community healthcare centre, referral hospital, tertiary hospital, private clinic). Median time to first healthcare visit and time to diagnosis and type of initially-visited healthcare facility were cross-tabulated with patient characteristics. An additional survey among (n = 30) medical doctors in the community healthcare centres and referral hospitals in Bamako was conducted to understand current knowledge and referral practice with respect to female patients with breast-related symptoms., Results: Patients who initially visited private clinics had the shortest time to first healthcare visit (median 44 days), but the longest time to diagnosis (median 170 days). Patients visiting community healthcare centres and referral hospitals took longest for a first healthcare visit (median 153 and 206 days, respectively), but the time to diagnosis was shorter (median 95 and 7 days, respectively). The majority of patients (45%) initially visited a tertiary hospital; these patients had shortest total time to diagnosis (median 56 days health seeking and 8 days diagnostic time), but did not follow the recommended pathway for patients in the pyramidal healthcare system in Mali. The doctors' survey showed lower breast cancer knowledge in the community healthcare centres than in the referral hospitals. However, most doctors felt able to recognise suspected cases of cancer and referred patients directly to a hospital., Conclusions: The role of different healthcare facilities in ensuring triage of patients with breast-related symptoms needs to be defined before any early detection initiatives are implemented. Especially at the entry level of the healthcare system, the access and quality of health services need to be strengthened.

Objectives: To describe the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of urethral prolapse in girls in pediatric surgery., Patients and Method: This was a 9-year retrospective study (January 2007 to December 2015) of girls aged 0-15 years with urethral prolapse and management in the department during the study period., Results: In 9 years, 18 cases of prolapsewerediagnosed, or 2 cases / year. The averageagewas 8.9 ± 3.4 yearswithextremes of 6 years and 15 years. Of the 18 cases identified, 10 werereferred. Femalegenital mutilation wasfoundin 15 (83.3%) patients, rectal prolapsewasassociatedin 2 cases (11.1%) and a cough concept in 5 (27.8%) patients. The average consultation time was 11.6 ± 7.9 dayswithextremes of 1 and 21 days. Eleven (61.1%) patients werereceivedurgently, including 2 cases (11.1%) of strangulation. Prolapsewas in the form of a roundedswelling, centered by the urethralmeatus. The mass wasblackishin 2 cases (11.1%). Shewasbleeding and painfulin 11 (61.1%) cases. Thesesignswere absent in 5 cases (27.8%). Swellingwasassociatedwithsigns of urinarydysuria and / or urinaryblightin 10 (55.5%) girls. The diagnosiswasclinical in all patients. Treatmentconsisted of excision and suturing of the prolapsedmucosa in all patients with placement of an indwellingurinarycatheter. Immediatefollow-up was simple in 16 (88.9%) patients and 2 cases (11.1%) of surgical site infection., (Le comitée de rédaction se réserve le droit de revoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de sonserver un examplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Introduction: Metastatsic tumoral ascites are characterised by the presence of cancerous cells in peritoneal fluid. They are frequent at an advanced stage of cancer. The goal of our work was to study cytology's contribution in the diagnosis of metastatic ascites at the teaching hospital of Point G., Material and Methods: It was a 3 years retrospective and prospective study, from January 2013 to December 2015. The study included every ascitic samples containing malignant cells at the teaching hospital of Point G. We looked for clinical informations in the patient's fold to find the primary cancer site, the histological diagnosis and the folllowup., Results: We collected data from 213 patients with ascite. Among them, 61 where malignant (28.6 %). Sixty-six percent (66%) of our patients were women. The most represented range age was from 46 to 60 years with a mean of 57.7 years. Housewives were the most frequent among our patients with a rate of 50.8%. Ovarian cancer was the first site with metastatic ascite (26%). It was followed by liver and stomach with respectively 20% and 18%. Ascite was the first clinical manifestation in 36% patients with cancer. It was isolated in 78%. After 6 months, the mortality rate was 76.6%., Conclusion: The cytology of ascite liquid is an imortant test for the diagnostic of metastatic ascites., (Le comitée de rédaction se réserve le droit de revoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de sonserver un examplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Objective: To analyse patient and healthcare system related factors influencing the time to first healthcare visit, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer patients in sub-Saharan Africa and the impact on survival in order to advise on early detection strategies., Methods: A prospective hospital cohort study was conducted at the only pathology department in Mali, at the University Hospital in Bamako. All the female patients with a breast cancer diagnosis between January and April 2016 were interviewed with a structured questionnaire (N = 64) to gather information about breast symptom recognition and first healthcare visit. Information on beginning of treatment and survival were collected at 18-months follow-up. Simple Cox regression analyses were performed., Results: The median time to first healthcare visit was 4.8 months, from first healthcare visit to diagnosis was 0.9 months and for the patients who started treatment (N = 46) the time from diagnosis to treatment was 1.3 months. Knowledge of breast-self-examination and correct symptom interpretation increased the chance of an earlier healthcare visit. Prolonged time to diagnosis was found with shorter duration to first healthcare visit, for working women compared to housewives and for those living within Bamako. Living outside Bamako and smaller tumour size (T1/T2) prolonged time to treatment. Visit of a traditional healer and larger tumour size (T3/T4) shortened survival time, whereas time to first healthcare visit and subsequent time to diagnosis had no influence on survival., Conclusions: Down-staging strategies are only useful if the continuum of breast cancer care is warranted for the majority of patients., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Retinoblastoma (Rb) is the most common intraocular primary malignancy in children. In industrialised countries, the cure rate is about 95%. We present the results of a prospective study on the management of Rb in the paediatric oncology unit of Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital and African Institute of Tropical Ophthalmology, from November 1, 2011 to December 31, 2015., Procedure: The aims of this prospective study were to evaluate the treatment of localised Rb, ocular prosthesis after enucleation, conservative management for bilateral Rb as well as survival rates in all patients. Patients with early stage Rb at diagnosis were included. The treatment was performed according to the retinoblastoma treatment guidelines of the French-African Paediatric Oncology Group., Results: Eighty-eight patients were included in the study. Sex ratio was 1:1 (M = 44, F = 44). Median age at diagnosis was 3 years (range: 2 months-5 years). Unilateral intraocular Rb was predominant (n = 50; 56.8%). Conservative treatments were performed on nine eyes in nine patients. Overall survival and event-free survival of the entire cohort at the end of 4 years were 73% (95% CI 60.8-81.2%) and 59% (95% CI 47.9-69.5%), respectively, with a median follow-up of 3.7 years (0.1-5.6 years). In conclusion, early enucleation in early stage of Rb can improve outcomes in resource-limited countries. Delayed enucleation and refusal of adherence to treatment are still major concerns and remain a barrier to improving overall patient survival., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The closure anomalies of the peritoneal-vaginal canal include several clinical entities, which are at the origin of various symptomatology., Objective: To study the anatomo-clinical and therapeutic aspects of pathologies of the peritoneal-vaginal canal., Materials and Method: This was a prospective study from January 1 st to December 31 st , 2015 carried out in the pediatric surgery department of University Hospital Gabriel Touré. It covered all children aged 0-15 years old with a pathology of the peritoneal-vaginal canal operating in the department during the study period. This study did not include cases that were not operated on or not seen during the study period., Results: During the study period, 2,699 children were treated in pediatric surgery, of which 150 cases of pathology of the peritoneal-vaginal canal had a hospital frequency of 5.5%. The average age was 3.25 ± 9.63 years. The sex ratio was 14. The reason for consultation was intermittent or permanent inguinal or inguino-scrotal swelling in all children. The pathology was discovered by the parents during the pushing efforts in 46.7%. Inguino-scrotal swelling was found on physical examination in 40% of cases. The right side was reached in 60% of the cases. Hernia accounted for 80.6% of these pathologies. We recorded 31 cases of strangulation and 11 cases of craze. Immediate operative follow-up was simple in 92% of patients. This rate was 96% after 6 months., Conclusion: Pathologies of the peritoneal-vaginal canal are very common in pediatric surgical practice. The first place of these pathologies is occupied by hernia. They preferentially affect male infants., (Le comitée de rédaction se réserve le droit de revoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de sonserver un examplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Non-neuromeningeal cryptococcosis forms resulting from disseminated infection are rarely reported in African literature and are non-documented in Malian medical ward. We report two clinical observations. Case 1: a 26-year-old patient, carrying the HIV-1 infection, in which the clinical examination revealed skin lesions simulating molluscum contagiosum and functional impairment of the lower limbs. Radiography of the lumbar spine showed vertebral osteolysis on L4-L5. Cryptococcal research remained negative in the CSF but positive at histological examination of the skin lesions and in pathological products of lumbosacral drainage. The treatment with fluconazole and ARV led to a favorable outcome. Case 2: a 42-year-old patient, admitted for fever cough, known for his non-compliance to ARVs and in which the examination found a syndrome of pleural condensation and a painful swelling of the outer third of the right clavicle (around the acromio-clavicular joint). Paraclinical investigations concluded in osteolysis of the acromial end of the right clavicle and an image of the right lung with abundant effusion. Cryptococcal research was positive in the pleural effusion and in the product of aspiration of acromio-clavicular tumefaction, negative in CSF. It seems important to think of a cryptococcal etiology even in the absence of clinical meningeal signs in front of any cutaneous sign and any fluctuating swelling in HIV+ patient., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: In West Africa, trends and risk factors for breast cancer (BC) have been rarely studied., Methods: Here we have analyzed trends of BC over two periods in two population-based cancer registries, in Mali-Bamako (1987-1997; 1998-2009) and in The Gambia (1988-1997; 1998-2006). We have conducted a case-control study (n = 253 cases, 249 controls) on risk factors associated with reproductive life stratified by menopausal status in Bamako., Results: Between the two periods, BC incidence rates increased by 20% (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.20 (95% CI [1.07-1.35])) in Bamako, with an annual percentage change of 2% (95% CI [0.4-3.6]). The increase was of 30% in women under 55 years (IRR 1.30 (95% CI [1.14-1.60])). A similar pattern was observed in The Gambia for women under 50 years (IRR 1.47 (95% CI [1.07-2.01])). Overall, pre-menopausal breast cancer was predominant in both countries. In contrary to what is well established, case-control study showed that late age at menarche (>14 years) increased the risk of BC among pre-menopausal women (OR: 2.02 (95% CI [1.08-3.78])) while it tended to be protective in post-menopausal women (OR: 0.61 (95% CI [0.29-1.29])). Later age at a first pregnancy (>20 years) was associated with a reduction of risk in pre-menopausal women (OR: 0.41 (95% CI [0.18-0.89]))., Conclusion: These results indicate that the burden of pre-menopausal BC is increasing in West African countries. These cancers appear to be associated with distinct reproductive risk factors, highlighting the need for better understanding the biological bases of early BC in African populations., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The authors report the first case of amyloidosis diagnosed by histology and documented in Mali. The patient was a young lady of 31 years old who was hospitalized in internal medicine at the University Hospital of "Point G" for edema and ascites syndrome. She had a history of diarrhea, fever, vomiting, exercise dyspnea and diffused abdominal pain. The biological assessment such as HIV serology was negative. The research of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum was positive. The diagnosis hypothesis of amyloidosis has been evoked and a biopsy of the rectal mucosa has been performed. The fragments showed by histology an acellular band between the basal membrane and the periglandular area. This band was stained in red by Rouge Congo. That confirmed the diagnosis of amyloidosis., (Le comitée de rédaction se réserve le droit de revoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de sonserver un examplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and therapeutic aspects of peritonitis by typhoid ileal perforation in a tropical typhoid fever endemic area., Patients and Methods: A descriptive retrospective study over an 8 year period (January 2000 to December 2007) was undertaken in a visceral service of the Point G teaching hospital in Bamako, Mali. Only patients diagnosed and operated for peritonitis presenting lesions or perforations of the final ileum were included in the study., Results: The data from 120 patients meeting the inclusion criteria was collected. The average age was 22.7 years old. Triad abdominal pains (120 cases; 100%), vomiting (41; 62.3%), lack of matter and gas (22; 32.3%) constituted the main part of the functional signs. The physical examination showed a localised abdominal defence (7 cases, 10.3%), generalized defence (98 cases; 81.6%), and 2 unspecified cases (2.9%). A "wood belly" abdomen was palpated among 105 patients (87.5%), as well as umbilical hernias (106 cases; 88.3%). The Felix and Widal agglutination test was positive for 75 patients (62.5%) and negative for 27 patients (22.5%). During the operation, the quantity of aspirated pus was higher than 1500 ml in 2 cases and lower or equal to 500 ml in 57.4% of cases. The site of the perforation was ante mesenteric in 64 cases (53.3%). Excision-suture and abdominal cleansing were the most common surgical procedures (68 cases; 57%). Postoperatively 19 patients (15.83%) died of septic shock. The average duration of hospitalization was 20.6 days., Conclusion: The peritonitis by typhoid ileum perforation is still the cause of a high mortality rate in our country. The prevention by the vaccination in young populations could decrease the incidence of pathology and the serious complications which result from this., (Le comitée de rédaction se réserve le droit de revoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de sonserver un examplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Objectives: To describe human papillomavirus (HPV) distribution in invasive cervical carcinoma (ICC) from Mali and Senegal and to compare type-specific relative contribution among sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries., Methods: A multicentric study was conducted to collect paraffin-embedded blocks of ICC. Polymerase chain reaction, DNA enzyme immunoassay and line probe assay were performed for HPV detection and genotyping. Data from SSA (Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda) and 35 other countries were compared., Results: One hundred and sixty-four ICC cases from Mali and Senegal were tested from which 138 were positive (adjusted prevalence = 86.8%; 95% CI = 79.7-91.7%). HPV16 and HPV18 accounted for 57.2% of infections and HPV45 for 16.7%. In SSA countries, HPV16 was less frequent than in the rest of the world (49.4%vs. 62.6%; P < 0.0001) but HPV18 and HPV45 were two times more frequent (19.3%vs. 9.4%; P < 0.0001 and 10.3%vs. 5.6%; P < 0.0001, respectively). There was an ecological correlation between HIV prevalence and the increase of HPV18 and the decrease of HPV45 in ICC in SSA (P = 0.037 for both)., Conclusion: HPV16/18/45 accounted for two-thirds of the HPV types found in invasive cervical cancer in Mali and Senegal. Our results suggest that HIV may play a role in the underlying HPV18 and HPV45 contribution to cervical cancer, but further studies are needed to confirm this correlation., (© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Introduction: Pleurisy represents a worrying situation because of the difficulty of aetiological diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of pleural puncture biopsy (PPB) in the diagnosis of pleurisy., Methods: A prospective study of the contribution of the pleural puncture biopsy in the pulmonary service of Bamako (Mali) from 2005 to 2009. PPB was used in the investigation of exudative, non-purulent pleurisy of unknown aetiology. Castelin biopsy forceps were used., Results: Pleurisy was the reason for 20% of the total admissions of 6374 patients. The PPB was performed in 390 patients or 30.6% of the cases of pleurisy. The HIV test was performed in 341 patients (87.4%), of whom 72 cases (21.1%) were positive. The pleural biopsies were: lymphocytic (68.7%), mixed cellular (17.1%). Histological interpretation was possible in 367 biopsy specimens, a yield of 94.1%. Tuberculous granulomata were found in 65.1% with a close relationship to HIV status (P<0.004). Pleural cancer was found in 16.1%., Conclusion: The PPB is easy to perform at a low cost. It permits the diagnosis of tuberculous and neoplastic pleurisy, particularly in low income countries with a high prevalence of TB/HIV., (Copyright © 2011 SPLF. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of the antimalarial artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) artesunate +sulfamethoxypyrazine/pyrimethamine (As+SMP), administered in doses used for malaria, to treat Schistosoma haematobium in school aged children., Methodology/principal Findings: The study was conducted in Djalakorodji, a peri-urban area of Bamako, Mali, using a double blind setup in which As+SMP was compared with praziquantel (PZQ). Urine samples were examined for Schistosoma haematobium on days -1, 0, 28 and 29. Detection of haematuria, and haematological and biochemical exams were conducted on day 0 and day 28. Clinical exams were performed on days 0, 1, 2, and 28. A total of 800 children were included in the trial. The cure rate obtained without viability testing was 43.9% in the As+SMP group versus 53% in the PZQ group (Chi(2) = 6.44, p = 0.011). Egg reduction rates were 95.6% with PZQ in comparison with 92.8% with As+SMP, p = 0.096. The proportion of participants who experienced adverse events related to the medication was 0.5% (2/400) in As+SMP treated children compared to 2.3% (9/399) in the PZQ group (p = 0.033). Abdominal pain and vomiting were the most frequent adverse events in both treatment arms. All adverse events were categorized as mild., Conclusions/significance: The study demonstrates that PZQ was more effective than As+SMP for treating Schistosoma haematobium. However, the safety and tolerability profile of As+SMP was similar to that seen with PZQ. Our findings suggest that further investigations seem justifiable to determine the dose/efficacy/safety pattern of As+SMP in the treatment of Schistosoma infections., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00510159.

The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical, anatomic and therapeutic aspects of laryngitis--pharyngeal cancers in Mali. It was a prospective, descriptive and cross sectional study which was help in the ORL and cervical facial department of the university hospital center Gabriel TOURE between April 2006 and March 2007. The study looked at 18 patients hospitalized for larynx or hypo pharynx cancer, diagnostic was confirmed histologically. The parameters (age, other favorable features, clinical signs, endoscopic aspect of the tumor, histological type and treatment type) have been analyzed. Men were the most affected (66.7%), with an average age of 58.17 year old. Chronic smoking has been the most evocated factor of risk (55.17) with an average consumation of 39.5 P/A. A delay in consultation was noticed (60% with a period greater than 1 year after the first symptoms appear). The burgeoning aspect (66.7%) end the carcinoma epidemic type of the tumor (94.7%) have dominated the anatomy pathologic table. Only 27.8% of patients had surgery because of late diagnosis.

Cervix cancer remains a public health problem in developing countries. These results are an assessment for multicentric study based on visual inspection of the cervix after application of acetiq acid (VIA) and lugol's iodine (VILI). The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility and the impact of this screening in the community health centres "CSCOM" in the district of Bamako. It was a prospective and multicentric study through 8 CSCOM, 3 Reference Centres "CSRéf", Hôpital Gabriel Touré (HGT) and National Institute of Public Health (INRSP) in Bamako. During 28 months, 5016 women aged through 25-49 years were screened. After their consent and questionnaire filling, the patient is comfortably settled for visual test. The repartition of screened patients by health level is: CSCOM (19.24% : 965/5016), CSRéf (48.64% : 2440/5016), HGT (32.12% : 1611/5016). In general, the positivity of tests was: 5.2% (VIA) and 6.8% (VILI). The positive women at the CSCOM level were oriented to the CSRéf or the HGT for the colposcopy, possible biopsy or care. At all 177 biopsies were done, and histological diagnosis were: 67 dysplasias, 3 early invasive carcinomas, 69 invasive carcinomas and 38 inflammatory metaplasic lesions or nonconclusives aspects. Patients with dysplasias or cancers were treated by cryotherapy, loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), cold-knife conization or surgery. This study showed that screening of cervical cancer by visual inspection is workable at CSCOM level. We wish a large diffusion of the method to the whole of the country.