title: Suspected cases of cholangiocarcinoma seen in reference hospitals in Lao People's Democratic Republic.
abstract: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) poses a significant public health problem in Southeast Asia, with chronic Opisthorchis viverrini infection being the main risk factor. Epidemiological data on CCA is not available for Lao People Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), though there is a high prevalence of O. viverrini infection in the country. A hospital record-based retrospective study was carried out in six referral hospitals (four in the capital city, one in Savannakhet, one in Pakse) to assess the number of suspected CCA cases admitted between January 2006 and December 2010. In total, we identified 274 patients with liver lesions suggesting CCA, as diagnosed by ultrasound and CT scan. Male gender and age 50years and above were main characteristics of those identified. The majority were admitted to hospitals in the central (58.0%) and southern (29.6%) parts of Lao PDR. Abdominal pain (48.5%) and jaundice (14.2%) were the main symptoms leading to hospitalisation. Some 267 (97.4%) patients had dilated bile ducts; 40 (74.1%) had gallstone or intrahepatic stone, and 33 (12.0%) had a parasitologically confirmed O. viverrini infection. This study provides the first estimated numbers of suspected CCA cases admitted to selected hospitals in Lao PDR. Definitive diagnosis of CCA was not possible. Therefore, case diagnosis and registration of suspected CCA cases are warranted to gather evidence for a national burden estimate of CCA, to develop large-scale studies and adequate preventive and curative health services. A cancer registry would be a most useful tool.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Vientiane Capital, Laos; Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Phonepasong
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ayé Soukhathammavong
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Unit of Parasitology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Health Sciences, Vientiane Capital, Laos.
authors.forename: Youthanavanh
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Vonghachack
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hatz
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Vientiane Capital, Laos.
authors.forename: Kongsap
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Akkhavong
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: peter.odermatt@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Odermatt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007812:Laos / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009889:Opisthorchiasis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D009891:Opisthorchis / Q000502:physiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Diagnosis; Hospitals; Lao PDR; Medical records; Suspected cholangiocarcinoma