Epidemiological and Histopathological Characteristics of Esophageal Cancers in Cameroon

Abstract

To describe the epidemiological and histopathological aspects of esophageal cancers in Cameroon. A retrospective study was carried out over a period of 13 years (January 2004-December 2016) in anatomopathological and gastroenterological departments, in five different regions in Cameroon. Only cases of confirmed histological diagnosis of esophageal cancers were included. Information was retried using a performed question which included questions of sociodemographic data, anatomical site, gross appearance, type specimens, histological type. Data statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20.0. We registered 89 cases of esophageal Cancers within the study period. It was the 4th frequent malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract (6.33%) of all cases. The mean age was 54.89 ± 11.22 years, predominant at 75.28% in the male sex. Smoking was the predominant risk factor among the identified factors associated with the risk of that cancer (21.35%). Lesions of the endoscoy were mostly ulcerative (44.44%) with preferential sites being the lower third portion of the oesophagus (63.33%). 83.15% (74 cases) specimens were biopsies. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was the most frequent histological type (52.81%), followed by adenocarcinoma (ADK). Malignant tumors of the esophagus are predominantly male in Cameroon and occur mainly in subjects over 50 years. Their incidence is strongly associated with alcohol-toxic intoxication. The tumor lesions sit mainly in the lower third of the organ. The most common histological type is squamous cell carcinoma.