title: Head and neck cancer--a clinicopathological study in a tertiary care center.
abstract: Head and neck cancers display diverse patterns of biological behavior and considerable variation in geographical distribution. This study presents an analysis of head and neck cancer in a Nigerian tertiary healthcare center. It comprises cases diagnosed at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, 1991-2005. Out of 1,750 head and neck tumors, 972 (55.5%) were malignant and 778 (44.5%) were benign. Cancers displayed male predominance, with a gender ratio of 1.8:1. The mean age of cancer patients was 43.8 +/- 19.6 years. Carcinomas constituted 71.7% of head and neck cancers, with 2.4% occurring in children and overall mean age of 48.2 years. Squamous cell carcinoma comprised 66.7% of carcinomas and 47.8% of all head and neck cancers. Hematopoietic malignancies constituted 20.4% of head and neck cancers, and comprised mainly lymphomas, which accounted for 19.3% of all head and neck cancers. The mean age of patients with hematopoietic malignancies was 34.9 years. The most common childhood malignancy was Burkitt's lymphoma, which comprised 28.2% of pediatric head and neck cancers. Connective tissue tumors constituted 7.9% of all cancers, the most common being rhabdomyosarcoma, accounting for 44.2% of sarcomas. The mean age of patients with sarcomas was 26.5 years. There is a need for uniformity in the definition of head and neck cancer so as to permit comparison of international studies. In addition, prospective population-based studies are required to determine the national incidence and to identify risk factors for head and neck cancer in the Nigerian population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. oluwabukolawale2003@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Bukola F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Adeyemi
authors.forename: Lola V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Adekunle
authors.forename: Bamidele M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Kolude
authors.forename: Effiong E U
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Akang
authors.forename: Jonathan O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Lawoyin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution