Head and Neck Cancers four year trend at the Nairobi Cancer Registry

Abstract

Background: Data on head and neck cancers is scarce in the developing countries including Africa. These cancers are more common in the Western countries. In the USA for instance, over 50,000 new cases occur annually. Head and neck cancers subtypes include oral cancers, oral pharyngeal cancers, larynx and nasopharyngeal cancers. Some of the associated causes of head and neck cancers include oncogenic viruses, irradiation, dietary factors and genetic predisposition. These cancers present a major challenge in their management due to their occurrence near vital structures of the head and neck region. Diagnosis or screening is difficult in the early stages due to the hidden nature of the lesions often resulting in late clinical presentation. Treatment modalities include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy alone or in combination.

Study Design: This was a retrospective study.

Materials and Methods: We reviewed data from the population based Nairobi Cancer Registry (NCR) for the occurrence of Head and Neck Cancers (HNC’s) in relation to the frequencies of all cancers registered within the period between 2000-2003. We also determined the demographical, clinical and the histological features of these cancers.

Results: For the period 2000-2003, head and neck cancers comprised over 12.8% (697) of all the 5462 cancers reported from all cancer sites with a male to female ratio of 2:1. Among the head and neck sub-sites, oral cancers were the highest at 40.6%, followed by nasopharynx and laryngeal cancers with 20.8% and 13.8 % respectively. The commonest histology was squamous cell carcinoma.

Conclusion: According to the cancer cases registered with the Nairobi Cancer Registry within the analysed period, Head and neck cancers comprised of a significant problem of all the cancers. They are characterised by high rates of oral and nasopharyngeal cancers.