A recent study conducted across three East African countries has identified Uganda as having the highest incidence of aggressive childhood cancer, specifically endemic Burkitt Lymphoma (eBL), which is closely associated with repeated malaria infections.
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in 2023, the study involved researchers from St Mary’s Hospital Lacor, the National Cancer Institute in the United States, and universities in Kenya and Tanzania.
The study found that Uganda had an eBL incidence rate 1.8 times higher than Kenya and 5.3 times higher than Tanzania. Between 2010 and 2016, Uganda reported 267 cases of eBL, compared to 183 in Kenya and 102 in Tanzania.
Notably, the researchers highlighted that children with asymptomatic parasitaemia, or silent malaria, are particularly at risk of developing eBL, as indicated in a previous 2020 study by researchers from St Mary’s Hospital Lacor.
While the exact mechanism linking malaria to eBL remains a subject of debate among scientists, the study underscores the need for intensified malaria preventive measures.
Dr. Nixon Niyonzima, head of research at the Uganda Cancer Institute, emphasized the importance of promoting interventions such as the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying to combat malaria and reduce the incidence of eBL.
Despite existing knowledge about the association between malaria and eBL, the study’s authors highlighted the use of fine-scale malariometric data to conduct a comprehensive longitudinal assessment, providing insights not previously available.
Additionally, they stressed the significance of early interventions to reduce malaria exposure, considering that approximately 40 percent of new cancer patients in Uganda are children.