title: Neural tumours of the head and neck.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To document the pattern of occurrence of all primary neural tumours arising in the neck and craniofacial region over the period 1982 to 1991.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cancer Registry, Nairobi, Kenya.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 289 cases who were identified to have had whole body neural tumours, 225 (77.8%) had the lesions distributed in the neck and craniofacial area. While 80% of the neoplasms located in this region were retinoblastomas (mainly occurring in the age group 0 to 4 years), other lesion types occurred in small numbers thus: neurofibromas comprised 12.4%, Schwannomas four per cent, neuroblastomas and neuromas each 0.4%; and extracranial gliomas 2.7%. Overall, the male to female ratio was 1:1 and the site distribution revealed that over 90% of the lesions afflicted the upper face.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neural tumours of the neck and craniofacial region appear generally rare in this population as has been shown elsewhere.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Oral Pathology/Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Nairobi, P. O. Box 19676, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chindia
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dimba
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010524:Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors