Updated epidemiology of haematological malignancies in the haematology & oncology and the internal medicine wards of the hospital of Point G, Bamako, Mali.

Summary This is a retrospective study on epidemiologic aspects of hematological malignancies from 1996 to 2003 in the Hospital of Point G, Bamako, Mali, in which we looked at files of all patients who visited the center during that period. During the study, 264 cases were diagnosed for hematological malignancies corresponding to an annual mean of 33 cases. Hematological malignancies were mostly lymphoid types (76.51%), among which NHL were predominant. For non lymphoid malignancies, CML was the most frequent (70.96 %). The prevalence of hematological malignancies was multiplied by 2.18 for lymphomas, 2.16 for leukemia, and 1.87 for multiple myeloma; whereas it was stable for other cases. The sex ratio was in favor of men with regard to all hematological malignancies except for CML that is more frequent un female (p=0,002). The case frequency repartition according to age showed a bimodal distribution with one peak for the 10-19 years old and another peak for the 40-49 years old. Among 44 patients tested for HIV, 11.4 % were positive. We couldn't establish a relationship with other classic risk factors. There were some particularities in the distribution of cases with regard to patient's provenances and the time spent before the hospital visits. The hospital-based mortality rate was 10.4 per 1000 and, lethality was high, probably because of case management difficulties and particular popular representation of the disease. More prospective studies with emphasis on risk factors in relation with hematological malignancies in Mali will help to better understand these observed epidemiologic particularities and to elaborate prevention and treatment strategies.