Update on pathology laboratory development and research in advancing regional cancer care in Malawi

Amy J Brownlee; Morgan Dewey; Maganizo B Chagomerana; Tamiwe Tomoka; Maurice Mulenga; Shiraz Khan; Coxcilly Kampani; Fred Chimzimu; Julie M Gastier-Foster; Kate D Westmoreland; Nmazuo W Ozuah; Robert Krysiak; Chikondi Malamba-Banda; Matthew S Painschab; Satish Gopal; Yuri Fedoriw

doi:10.3389/fmed.2024.1336861

Update on pathology laboratory development and research in advancing regional cancer care in Malawi

Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Jan 16:11:1336861. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1336861. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Amy J Brownlee¹, Morgan Dewey², Maganizo B Chagomerana^{3

4}, Tamiwe Tomoka³, Maurice Mulenga⁵, Shiraz Khan^{3

5}, Coxcilly Kampani³, Fred Chimzimu³, Julie M Gastier-Foster⁶, Kate D Westmoreland^{3

7

8}, Nmazuo W Ozuah⁹, Robert Krysiak³, Chikondi Malamba-Banda^{3

10

11}, Matthew S Painschab^{3

8

12}, Satish Gopal¹³, Yuri Fedoriw^{1

3

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
² School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States.
³ University of North Carolina (UNC) Project-Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi.
⁴ Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
⁵ Kamuzu Central Hospital, Malawi Ministry of Health, Lilongwe, Malawi.
⁶ Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.
⁷ Division of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
⁸ Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
⁹ Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.
¹⁰ Malawi University of Science and Technology, Limbe, Malawi.
¹¹ Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Program, Blantyre, Malawi.
¹² Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
¹³ Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States.

Abstract

The pathology laboratory at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe, Malawi was established in 2011. We published our initial experiences in laboratory development and telepathology in 2013 and 2016, respectively. The purpose of this paper is to provide an update on our work by highlighting the positive role laboratory development has played in improving regional cancer care and research. In addition, we provide a summary of the adult pathology data from specimens received between July 1, 2011, and May 31, 2019, with an emphasis on malignant diagnoses. We compare these summaries to estimates of cancer incidence in this region to identify gaps and future needs.

Keywords: Africa; Malawi; cancer care; cancer research; global health; pathology; pathology laboratory development.

Abstract

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