Mosquito Bed Net Use and Burkitt Lymphoma Incidence in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

A partir d'une revue systématique de la littérature publiée entre 1990 et 2023 (23 études, 5 226 cas), cette méta-analyse évalue l'association entre le déploiement à grande échelle des moustiquaires imprégnées d'insecticide dans les années 2000 et l'incidence du lymphome de Burkitt chez les enfants d'Afrique subsaharienne

JAMA Network Open, Volume 7, Numéro 4, Page e247351-e247351, 2024, article en libre accès

Résumé en anglais

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is one of the most common childhood cancers in sub-Saharan Africa and is etiologically linked to malaria. However, evidence for an effect of malaria interventions on BL is limited.To investigate the potential population-level association between large-scale rollout of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) in sub-Saharan Africa in the 2000s and BL incidence.In this systematic review and meta-analysis, a search was conducted in the Embase, Global Health, and Medline databases and in cancer registry publications between January 1, 1990, and February 27, 2023.All epidemiologic studies on BL incidence rates in children and adolescents aged 0 to 15 years in sub-Saharan African countries where malaria is endemic were identified by 2 reviewers blinded to each other’s decision.The systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses reporting guideline. Data were extracted independently by 2 reviewers, and quality was scored based on 3 predefined criteria: data collection, case ascertainment, and calculation of person-time at risk.Incidence rates of BL during childhood and mean ITN use in the population. Data were analyzed using a random-effects negative binomial regression model.Of 2333 studies meeting selection criteria, 23 comprising 66 data points on BL incidence were included based on 5226 BL cases from locations with large-scale ITN use in 17 countries. Rates of BL were 44% (95% CI, 12%-64%) lower in the period after ITN introduction compared with before. The adjusted pooled incidence rates of BL were 1.36 (95% CI, 0.88-2.10) and 0.76 (95% CI, 0.50-1.16) per 100 000 person-years before and after introduction of ITNs, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, a 1–percentage point increase in mean ITN use in the population in the 10 years before BL data collection was associated with a 2% (95% CI, 1%-4%) reduction in BL incidence.In this systematic review and meta-analysis, large-scale rollout of ITNs in the 2000s was associated with a reduction in BL burden among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Although published data may not be representative of all incidence rates across sub-Saharan Africa, this study highlights a potential additional benefit of malaria control programs.