Author(s)

Rita Larsen-Reindorf^1*, Osei Owusu-Afriyie², Alexander Oti Acheampong³, Isaac Boakye⁴, Baffour Awuah⁵

¹Department of ENT, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
²Department of Pathology, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
³Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Unit, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁴Research & Development Unit, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁵Directorate of Oncology, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.

Background: In Ghana, information on the prevalence and pattern of Head and Neck Cancers (HNCA) is scarce. There are few publications based on specific sub-sites of the head and neck, however, literature on the prevalence and pattern of HNCA in general is lacking. The present study aimed to describe the pattern of HNCA among patients seen at the multidisciplinary HNCA clinic of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. Methods: This is a retrospective review of all consecutive patient records seen at the multidisciplinary clinic from 2004 to 2009. Results: There were 149 males and 103 females giving a male to female ratio of 1.45:1. The age range was 2 - 95 years with a mean of 48.1 years. The commonest type of HNCA in this review is cancers of the oral cavity (29.4%), followed by accessory sinuses (13.9%) and larynx (13.5%). Nasopharyngeal cancer affected young people, with 34.5% of affected patients aged between 10 and 19 years. The commonest histopathological type was squamous cell carcinoma (49.6%). Majority (47.6%) of patients presented at stage IV. Conclusion: The commonest HNCA is oral cancer. Majority of patients with HNCA are presenting late calling for public health education to raise awareness and promote early detection.

Head and Neck Cancer, Oral Cavity, Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Larsen-Reindorf, R. , Owusu-Afriyie, O. , Acheampong, A. , Boakye, I. and Awuah, B. (2014) A Six-Year Review of Head and Neck Cancers at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana. International Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, 3, 271-278. doi: 10.4236/ijohns.2014.35050.