The Pattern of Paediatric Malignancy in Zambia (1980-1989): a Hospital-based Histopathological Study

The pattern of malignancies among indigenous Zambian children is described. The study, based upon an analysis of histopathology, autopsy and haematology records for a 10-year period (1980-1989), reveals a total of 525 neoplasms with a peak prevalence in the 5-9 year age group. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (17.5%) was the most common disorder followed by Burkitt's lymphoma (13.9%), retinoblastoma (11.4%), Kaposi's sarcoma (8.8%), Hodgkin's disease (5.9%), Wilms' tumour (5.9%), acute lymphocytic leukaemia (4%), rhabdomyosarcoma (3.4%), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (2.7%) and osteogenic sarcoma (2.1%). Kaposi's sarcoma and Hodgkin's disease revealed a significant male dominance; the former presented mainly in nodal form. Compared to an earlier report from Zambia (1968-1972), a significant increase in the incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma was noted in the present series.