Patterns of primary oral and maxillofacial malignancies among patients seen at Tikur Anbessa comprehensive specialized hospital - A retrospective study

BackgroundOrofacial cancer is a malignant neoplastic proliferation of epithelial and ectomesenchymal tissue of oral and maxillofacial origin. The late presentation of patient, aggressive nature of orofacial malignancy and the anatomic site closure to vital organ make orofacial cancer management challenging. ObjectiveThe goal of this was to assess the patterns and risk factors of primary orofacial malignancy among patients visited Tikur Anbessa comprehensive specialized hospital. Patients and methodsA cross sectional descriptive study with retrospective data collection was conducted on 175 patients diagnosed with primary oral and maxillofacial malignancies at Tikur Anbessa comprehensive specialized hospital over a period of January 2020 to December 2021. Data were collected by chart review. The collected date were entered to SPSS 25.0 for statistical analysis and results were presented with table, figures and charts. Percentage and frequency were employed for categorical data while mean was used for continuous variables. ResultsOut of 175 primary orofacial cases analysed, male were 57.1 %(n=100) with male to female ratio 1.48: 1, mean age of (48.21 {+/-} 16.93 years) and range (12-91 years). Squamous cell carcinoma was the commonest cancer (52.0%) followed by mucoepidermoid carcinoma. About 34 % of patient had known risk factor. Majority of the patient (65.7%) were diagnosed as stage IV. Distance metastases were identified in 8.6 % of the patients and 41.7% of patients were treated surgically. ConclusionThe study showed squamous cell carcinoma was the most prevalent orofacial cancer. Majority of patients were presented with advanced stage of disease. Surgery was the main means of treatment modality given to orofacial cancer patients.