OUTCOME OF CHILDHOOD ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKAEMIA IN A PAEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY UNIT IN GHANA

Abstract

Worldwide, acute leukaemias account for about a third of all childhood cancers and ALL represents about 80% of all acute leukaemias in children below the age of 15 years [1]. Survival rates for childhood ALL have improved significantly in developed countries over the past fifty years and are currently at about 90% [2]. Improved laboratory diagnostic 64 capabilities with more precise risk-directed treatment regimens, availability of adequate supportive care and biologically targeted therapies have contributed to these improved outcomes [3]. In comparison, outcomes of children with ALL in resource-poor nations remain sub-optimal [4]. The reasons for these poor outcomes are multi-factorial and

68 include lack of recognition of childhood cancers as a health priority, poor health infrastructure with few specialized paediatric oncology units and trained personnel, limited laboratory facilities, missed diagnoses, poverty (rendering chemotherapy and other related healthcare costs unaffordable), delayed presentation to hospital and abandonment of therapy [4].