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In the U.S., children with a blood cancer called Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) are usually treated successfully. Some of these children will suffer health problems several years later because of the treatment they received. Because of this, doctors use powerful imaging tools to identify patients who are likely to do well or not. Those who are likely to do well require less treatment and those who are less likely to do well can receive more treatment. But in low-income countries like Malawi, these tools are unavailable, and the children there often receive treatment that may be unnecessary. Scientists have found unique abnormalities in adults with HL that can tell us who is less likely to do well. Here, Dr. Ozuah is testing whether these abnormalities are present in children and could be used to decide how best to treat children with HL in low-middle income countries

Based on progress to date, Dr. Wasswa was awarded new grants in 2018 and 2019 to fund additional years of this International Scholar grant. Whereas more than 80% of children with leukemia and lymphoma in the United States are cured with chemotherapy, in Africa a diagnosis with one of these diseases is an outright death sentence. To enable adaptation of chemotherapy protocols from the U.S. to treating children in Africa, Dr. Wasswa is studying the prevalent types of leukemia and lymphoma in children in Malawi and how their genetic code may affect response to chemotherapy.