Onchocerciasis control in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): challenges in a post-war environment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate onchocerciasis control activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the first 12 years of community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI). METHODS: Data from the National Programme for Onchocerciasis (NPO) provided by the National Onchocerciasis Task Force (NOTF) through the annual reports of the 21 CDTI projects for the years 2001-2012 were reviewed retrospectively. A hypothetical-inputs-process-outputs-outcomes table was constructed. RESULTS: Community-directed treatment with ivermectin expanded from 1968 communities in 2001 to 39 100 communities by 2012 while the number of community-directed distributors (CDD) and health workers (HW) multiplied. By 2012, there were ratios of 1 CDD per 262 persons and 1 HW per 2318 persons at risk. More than 80% of the funding came from the fiduciary funds of the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control. The cost of treatment per person treated fell from US$ 1.1 in 2001 to US$ 0.1 in 2012. The therapeutic coverage increased from 2.7% (2001) to 74.2% (2012); the geographical coverage, from 4.7% (2001) to 93.9% (2012). Geographical coverage fell in 2005 due to deaths in loiasis co-endemic areas, and the therapeutic coverage fell in 2008 due to insecurity. CONCLUSIONS: Challenges to CDTI in DRC have been serious adverse reactions to ivermectin in loiasis co-endemic areas and political conflict. Targets for personnel or therapeutic and geographical coverages were not met. Longer term funding and renewed efforts are required to achieve control and elimination of onchocerciasis in DRC.

Sarcoma after radiation therapy: retrospective multiinstitutional study of 80 histologically confirmed cases. Radiation Therapist and Pathologist Groups of the Fédération Nationale des Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the best strategy for treatment of sarcoma that occurs after radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records were retrospectively reviewed for 80 patients with a confirmed histologic diagnosis of sarcoma that occurred after radiation therapy performed during 1975-1995. The patients were treated for breast cancer (n = 33, 42%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 9, 11%), cervical cancer (n = 9, 11%), benign lesions (n = 4, 5%), or other tumors (n = 25, 31%). Sarcoma occurred after a mean latency of 12 years (range, 3-64 years), with most (70%) developing in the soft tissue. Treatment included surgery (28 patients), surgery and chemotherapy (18 patients), chemotherapy only (15 patients), and radiation therapy (14 patients). RESULTS: By the end of the study, 51 patients were dead, including 46 due to sarcoma. Median survival was 23 months. Overall survival rates at 2 and 5 years, respectively, were 69% and 39% for patients treated with surgery, 10% and 0% for those treated with chemotherapy, and 52% and 35% for those treated with surgery and chemotherapy (P =.001). The 2- and 5-year rates for survival without recurrence were 54% and 32%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results confirm the beneficial effect of surgery. Further study is needed to explore the roles of combined treatments.