Head and neck cancer - A clinicopathological study in a tertiary care center

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.