title: Pattern of head and neck cancers in a sample of Syrian population: a retrospective hospital-based study.
abstract: Head and neck cancers include a wide number of different types of cancer arising from a variety of different sites in the head and neck. Cancer patterns show a large worldwide variation. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the pattern of occurrence of head and neck cancers in a sample of the Syrian population. A retrospective hospital-based descriptive study was conducted of all cases of head and neck cancer at two hospitals in Damascus over a 3-year period (2008-2010). Information was obtained from the records of the 2 centres: Maxillofacial Hospital and the head and neck surgery department in Al Mouasah Hospital. A total of 267 cases of head and neck cancers were recorded. The male to female ratio was 4:1 and the mean age was 57.7 years. The 5 most common sites were larynx (45.0%), oral cavity (16.5%), skin of the head and neck (14.0%), lower lip (6.0%) and lymph nodes (5%). Nose and external auditory tube were the least common sites. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histological type (69%). This study indicates the relative prominence of laryngeal, oral and skin cancers in this area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Damascus, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic.
authors.forename: Y Al
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Moudallal
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Damascus, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khankan