The pattern of head and neck malignant tumours in Jos.

Abstract

Background: Head and neck tumours are not uncommon in our environment with only a few publications focusing on primary head and neck malignancies. Aim: This study evaluated the histopathological types and anatomic sites of primary head and neck malignancies that were managed and the challenges encountered in our department. Method: This is a 30-month (October 2005 – March 2008) retrospective review of head and neck histopathologically confirmed cancer specimens. Results: Thirty-two (41 %) cases were confirmed histologically as malignant head and neck tumours out of a total of seventy-eight histologic specimens. There were twenty-three males and nine females (M:F= 2.6:1). The peak age of incidence was in the 4th and 7th decades with a range of eleven months to seventy years. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (31.3%) constituted the commonest primary head and neck malignancy followed by laryngeal carcinoma (28.1%), while sinonasal carcinoma and oral cavity malignancy each contributed 9.4%. The commonest anatomical site was the nasopharynx followed closely by the larynx. The commonest histological type was squamus cell carcinoma (62.5%), followed by the undifferentiated carcinoma (9.4%) while Mucoepidermoid carcinoma and Rabdomyosarcoma occurred in equal proportions (6.3%). Non Hodgkin lymphoma which constituted 3.1% was in a retroviral positive patient. Varying gender ratios were noted amongst the various cancers: all the nine laryngeal carcinomas were males while nasopharyngeal carcinoma had a M: F of 3:2. Conclusion: The relative common sites of head and neck cancers in our environment have been highlighted by this study. The anatomic sites of these cancers, poor diagnostic facilities and treatment modalities in our centre; often present 21 management challenges to both the patients and the managing team. The finding of nasopharyngeal carcinoma as the commonest head and neck cancer in this study is in contrast to an earlier work from this same region.

Key words: Head and neck, Malignancies, Pattern, histology, oncology unit.