Background and procedure: Eighteen years of experience with Burkitt lymphoma (BL), the most common form of childhood cancer in the Ivory Coast, has been reviewed and the epidemiology analyzed.
Results: BL is more commonly found in wooded areas than savannahs by a factor of 5:1. Despite good responses to cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy, chances for survival are often dictated by socioeconomic factors that limit optimal care.
Conclusions: Better public health measures and improved education and socioeconomic conditions are needed if the fruits of earlier and more aggressive therapies are to be gathered.
Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.