Background. There is insufficient research into the state of paediatric oncology in African countries. Objectives. The purpose of this study was to analyse the state of paediatric oncology between 1995 and 2004 in Côte d'Ivoire. Methods. This retrospective descriptive study analysed all patients under the age of 18 who were diagnosed with cancer in Côte d'Ivoire over a period of 10 years (January 1995 -December 2004) with regard to demographics, types of pathology, delay in diagnosis and treatment, treatment modalities, abandonment of treatment and survival rate. Results. Of 405 patients diagnosed with cancer, 331 were included in the study. Burkitt's lymphoma was the most common malignancy (73.6%), followed by nephroblastoma (14.5%) and acute leukaemia (4%). Delay in diagnosis occurred in 38.7% of cases and ranged from 1 to 3 months; the average delay from diagnosis to starting treatment was 18 days. An abdominal mass and swelling of the jaw were the most common clinical presentations. Almost half of the patients (48.6%) were lost to follow-up and over a third (39.3%) died shortly after admission owing to advanced disease. The overall survival rate was 9.4%. Conclusions. Cancer in children in Côte d'Ivoire was dominated by Burkitt's lymphoma. The rate of loss to follow-up of almost 50% is grounds for concern. The overall survival rate of 9.4% is very low, but such figures are not uncommon for African countries. Collaboration within the Franco-African Group of Paediatric Oncology has contributed to improving the management of children with cancer.

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Objective: Making the interest of using immunohistochemistry clear in addition to histological test in the diagnosis of lymphomas. Methods: This is a retrospective study from January 2011 to June 2013 involving 18 cases of lymphomas collected in the teaching hospitals of Treichville and Yopougon. Results: 1) 38.88% diagnosis of LMNH B large-cell in histology against 38.88% LDGCB with IHC. 2) 11.11% diagnosis of LMNH small cell in histology against 11.11% with IHC. 3) 5.55% diagnosis of T lymphoma in histology against 27.77% diagnosis of T lymphoma with IHC. 4) 5.55% diagnosis of follicular lymphoma in histology against 11.11% diagnosis of LF with IHC. 5) 11.11% diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma in histology against 5.55% diagnosis of LB with IHC. 6) 5.55% diagnosis of medullary hypoplasia in histology against 5.55% diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease. Our results confirm the contribution of immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of lymphomas in addition to histological test. This is striking, especially as there is 27.77% of T lymphoma with immunohistochemistry against only 5.55% with histology.

Sickle cell disease is a hereditary disease that predominantly affects black people. It is very widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly at the Lehmann “sickle belt” level, where the prevalence of the hemoglobin S involves at least 10% of the population in West Africa and can reach 40% in Central Africa. In Côte d’Ivoire, the prevalence of the hemoglobin S is about 12–14% in the general population and about 11.71% in the child population in Abidjan. On the other hand, its coexistence with other hemoglobin phenotypes such as AC (6.2%) and β-thalassemia (2.7%) traits may also cause composite heterogeneous sickle cell disease, e.g., SC or S/β-thalassemia in this study. Since 2009, sickle cell disease has been recognized as a public health problem; however, much still remains to be performed despite the progress achieved. The objective of this study is thus to promote a rapid screening for the struggling against sickle cell disease in Côte d’Ivoire. This study was carried out over 6 months (April–September 2019) and has included 336 children, of which 236 all-comers, recruited in the municipality of Treichville in Abidjan and 100 other children with already known hemoglobin phenotype followed up in the Hematology Department of the University Hospital of Treichville. Two tests were used: the HemoTypeSC™ for rapid screening and the hemoglobin electrophoresis which is the reference method used for confirming the diagnosis in the laboratory. The findings confirmed the reliability of the HemoTypeSC™ with a sensitivity and specificity at 100% for the detection of hemoglobin A, S, and C. On the other hand, this sensitivity and specificity drop to 98.2% and 99.7%, respectively, when we analyze all the 336 children together, including the cases with HbF detected by hemoglobin electrophoresis. Hence, the importance of performing certainty tests following the HemoTypeSC™ screening test in order to determine the accurate phenotypes and proportions of the types of hemoglobin. The prevalence of hemoglobin S in subgroup 1 of 236 children of all-comers was 15%. The HemoTypeSC™ is therefore reliable, inexpensive, and disposable for rapid screening and early detection of sickle cell disease in Côte d’Ivoire. The HemoTypeSC™ provides rapid detection of hemoglobin phenotypes HbAA, HbSS, HbSC, HbCC, HbAS, and HbAC.

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