Malignancies in African Children.

The article discusses a study on malignancies in African children. A survey of African children from birth to 15 years of age who died at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, between 1953 and 1964 yielded 88 instances of malignant disease. A significant feature of the study is the very high incidence of malignant lymphoma of the Burkitt's type, representing over 50 per cent of both the autopsied and the non-autopsied patients. There has been speculation that the very high prevalence of lymphoma in Uganda as compared with other countries may be related in some way to the relative paucity of leukemia. Studies in experimental carcinogenesis have shown that hereditary and hormonal factors and the nutritional state may influence the degree of sensitivity of cells to neoplastic change.