Survival of Burkitt's Lymphoma Patients in Mulago Hospital, Uganda

Follow-up of 80 cases of Burkin's lymphoma treated in Mulago Hospital, Uganda, has shown that the “long-term” survival rate is approximately 1 in 5. This rate is markedly dependent on the extent of anatomical involvement of the lymphoma at presentation in this series, but in the previously reported series of Clifford (1966) this is not so. A possible reason for this discrepancy is sought in the different dosages of drugs used in the two centres. This investigation represents a continuation and extension of the work initiated by Mr. D. Burkitt. We are grateful to Mr. Burkitt and Mr. S. Kyalwazi, who between them treated nearly all the cases reported in this series, for permission to follow up their patients. Special acknowledgement is due to both the past and the present pathologists at Makerere Medical School, and in particular to Dr. D. H. Wright, for carrying out the microscopy of the cases considered in this paper. We would like to thank Mrs. Barbara Wright (registrar, B.E.C.C.-financed Kampala Cancer Registry) for the assistance she gave us in collecting details of the patients. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the U.S. National Cancer Institute (N.I.H.) under their Contract No. PH-43-67-47, and of the British Empire Cancer Campaign for Research.