Epidemiological and pathological aspects of gastrointestinal tumors in Togo.
OBJECTIVE
The incidence of gastrointestinal tumors is difficult to estimate in Togo, so the purpose of this report was to describe the tumors diagnosed by the national pathology laboratory.


METHODS
This was a retrospective descriptive study of 742 gastrointestinal tumors diagnosed between 1986 and 2005 by the pathology laboratory of the Tokoin university hospital in Lomé, Togo.


RESULTS
There was an annual incidence of 37 gastrointestinal tumors, including 27 cancers, with twice as many tumors diagnosed in men as in women. The average age of patients diagnosed with a benign tumor was 44 years compared with 52 years for those with a malignant tumor. Stomach tumors predominated (n=306; 41.2%). Papilloma was the most frequent benign tumor type (n=100; 47.8%), while malignant tumors were mostly gastric adenocarcinoma (n=224; 42% of all cancers), esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (n=100; 19%) and colorectal adenocarcinoma (n=89; 17%).


CONCLUSIONS
Gastrointestinal tumors are frequently seen in Togo, and an epidemiological monitoring program is needed.
Amegbor
K
K
Laboratoire d'anatomie et cytologie pathologiques, CHU de Lomé-Tokoin, Lomé, Togo. f6kamegbor@yahoo.fr
Napo-Koura
G A
GA
Songne-Gnamkoulamba
B
B
Redah
D
D
Tekou
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014037:Togo / Q000453:epidemiology