Author(s)

Spero H. Raoul Hounkpatin^1*, Luc Valere C. Brun², Marie-Claire Balle², Fatiou Alabi Bouraima¹, Tire Abdias Bossou¹, Nicolas H. Amegan³, Marius Claude Flatin¹, Marie-Therese Akélé-Akpo³

¹Department of Surgery and Surgical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine, University of Parakou, Parakou, Benin.
²Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Parakou, Parakou, Benin.
³Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Health, University of Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Benin.

Background: The collection of data on cancers is essential to assess their importance in a population and plan control strategies. In Benin as in many sub-Saharan Africa countries, cancer data are often not well informed. Purpose: To study the epidemiological and anatomopathological profiles of head and neck cancers. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of head and neck cancers in Benin from January 2009 to 31 December 2014. These tumours were collected in the registers of the 5 anatomy-pathological laboratories in Benin as well as in that of the only hospital in the country that sends its requests for histological examination abroad. Results: During the period, 611 cases of head and neck tumour were reported, including 298 malignant cases, or 48.8%. The average age was 45.3 ± 18.7 years (extremes: 1 year and 91 years) with a maximum of cases between 50 and 60 years (19.1%). The sex ratio was 1.2. The cancers occurred mainly in the pharynx (27.9%), the oral cavity (19.8%), the nose, sinuses and jaws (18.1%), the thyroid (12.8%), the salivary glands (8.7%) and the larynx (8.4%). They were of epithelial origin in 79.5% of cases, mainly squamous cell carcinomas (50.3%) and lymphomas in 12.8% of cases. Conclusion: Head and neck cancer is preventable. A special place should be given to the fight against cancer in Benin. Strategies to prevent and manage these cancers cannot be put in place without accurate data collection.

Cancer of the Head and Neck, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck, Cancer of the Mouth, Cancer of the Larynx

Hounkpatin, S. , Brun, L. , Balle, M. , Bouraima, F. , Bossou, T. , Amegan, N. , Flatin, M. and Akélé-Akpo, M. (2020) Histo-Epidemiological Profile of Head and Neck Cancers in Benin. International Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, 9, 19-29. doi: 10.4236/ijohns.2020.91004.