TITLE:
Cancers in the Elderly Seen in Anatomical Pathology Laboratory in Lomé, Togo
AUTHORS:
Tchin Darré, Atchi Walla, Tchilabalo Matchonna Kpatcha, Abdoul-Samadou Aboubakari, Nidain Maneh, Mikotakatola Koulinga, Koffi Amégbor, Gado Napo Koura
KEYWORDS:
Cancer, Elderly, Togo
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pathology,
Vol.6 No.1,
January
22,
2016
ABSTRACT: Background: The elderly cancers are
worldwide a major public health issue. Their exact incidence is unknown in
Togo. The purpose of this study was to describe epidemiological and
histological data of cancers in the elderly in Togo. Materials and Methods: This
was a cross-sectional and descriptive study of cases of elderly cancers
diagnosed at the laboratory of pathology of the university teaching hospital of
Lomé from 1995 to 2014 (20 years). Cases of examination on samples of the
elderly (biopsy, excision, surgical specimens) were collected from the data
records of that laboratory. Results: Overall, 792/5200 cases of elderly cancer
were collected representing 15.2% of all cancers diagnosed in the laboratory.
The annual incidence was 39.6 cases. Patient age ranged from 65 to 103 years
old, with a mean of 68.5 ± 4 years old. The sex ratio (M/F) was 1.3. At
pathological level, the study material included pieces (n=290 cases; 36.6%) and
biopsies (n=502 cases; 63.4%). Cancers located preferably in prostate in men
(38%), and in women the most frequent locations were cervix (16.2%) and breast
(15.8%). We noticed four histological groups: carcinomas (n = 706 cases;
89.1%), sarcomas (n = 43 cases; 5.5%), lymphoma (n = 34 cases; 4.3%) and
melanoma (n = 9 cases; 1.1%). Carcinomas were dominated by adenocarcinomas
(50.1%) and squamous cell carcinomas (33.8%); Kaposi’s sarcoma (32.6%) was the
most common histological type in sarcomas. Conclusion: Our results showed that
the elderly cancers were frequent in Togo, locating mostly in uterus cervix and
breast in female, and prostate in men. This study could help to advocate the
establishment of a cancer registry in Togo.