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. 2021 May 4:39:12.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.2021.39.12.23357. eCollection 2021.

Descriptive analysis of esophageal cancer in Zambia using the cancer disease hospital database: young age, late stage at presentation

Akwi Wasi Asombang  1 , Nancy Kasongo  2 , John Muyutu  2 , Joao Filipe Goncalves Montiero  3 , Nathaniel Chishinga  3 , Jackson Chipaila  4 , Lewis Banda  5
Affiliations

Descriptive analysis of esophageal cancer in Zambia using the cancer disease hospital database: young age, late stage at presentation

Akwi Wasi Asombang et al. Pan Afr Med J. .

Abstract

Introduction: published data on oesophageal cancer (EC) in Zambia is limited and our study is the only study in Zambia evaluating the demographics and clinicopathologic features of patients presenting with EC at time of diagnosis.

Methods: a retrospective analysis of data from Cancer Diseases Hospital (CDH) database was conducted on EC patients diagnosed between 2007 and December 2018. Medical records of EC patients were manually retrieved and reviewed using medical record numbers identified from the CDH database. Demographics, clinicopathologic features and modes of treatment were extracted. A coding sheet was created a priori, and data analysed in SAS version 9.3.

Results: two hundred and seventy eight (278) complete EC medical records were included in the analysis, 183 (66%) were males, mean age was 55 years (range 21-89). One hundred and fifty six (156) (56%) resided in Lusaka, the location of CDH. The age-standardized incidence for EC was 5.5 per 100,000 people (95% CI, 4.3-6.6). The commonest symptom was dysphagia (83%), 97% were diagnosed endoscopically, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma accounted for 90% and 8.3% respectively, 65% received treatment. One hundred and twenty four (124) medical records had missing cancer staging. Of 154 medical records with complete cancer staging, 98 (35%) were diagnosed at stage 4 of which 33% were between 40 and 49 years.

Conclusion: the age-standardized incidence for EC is high at CDH. Patients with EC are predominantly male, reside in Lusaka and present with late stage EC at time of diagnosis; mostly between the ages of 40-49 years. Robust prospective research and improved data recording is needed.

Keywords: Africa; Zambia; esophageal cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
esophageal cancer (EC) trend at cancer diseases hospital, Lusaka 2013-2018, the black line represents the incidence of EC by year
Figure 2
Figure 2
number of patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer by age range and gender
Figure 3
Figure 3
esophageal cancer clinical staging
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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