Cancers in the Elderly Seen in Anatomical Pathology Laboratory in Lomé, Togo

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.

Epidemiological and Pathologic Characteristics of Cancer Morbidity in Elderly Nigerians: A Call for Action

“…Age-wise Distribution of Geriatric Cancer in Nigeria Abuja cancer registries, 38% of the cancer cases involved patients from the age of 55 years [12]. In Ghana [13] and Togo [14]. 36% and 15.2-17.4% of cancer patients respectively were of 60+ years old.…”

“…Although the risk factors for prostate cancer have been poorly characterized, early detection has been associated with marked reduction in mortality, especially when backed up with effective treatment [1]. Conversely, lung cancer, which was shown to be one of the leading cancers in most developed countries among the elderly in other regions, is uncommon in our region, possibly due to differences in tobacco consumption and genetic factors [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Among older women in this study, cancer of the uterine cervix is the most common cancer, which is at variance with reports from non-African countries [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

“…Africa has been the major contributor of the global burden of cervical cancer because national cervical cancer screening programmes and vaccination against the oncogenic strain of human papilloma virus have remained an abysmal failure. On the contrary, the adoption of these activities in most developed countries is the major explanation for the consistent decline in cervical cancer in these regions in recent decades [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Across the globe, breast cancer is the most common cancer among elderly women, except in China and Africa where it is preceded by lung and cervical cancer respectively [18].…”

“…Reduction in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in developed countries is a general observation and is attributed to cancer screening programmes using routine fecal occult blood and colonoscopic examination, which allows for detection and removal of premalignant lesions. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. These preventive measures are yet to be widely implemented in Nigeria.…”

Prostate cancer screening: A survey of medical students’ knowledge in Lome, Togo, and associated determinants in a resource-limited African context

“… 6 , 11 It is the most frequent cancer in elderly subjects with 21.59% of cases, ahead of stomach and breast cancer. 12 It remains the main urological cancer with 74.63% of cases, ahead of bladder and kidney cancers. 13 Due to the ageing of the population, the risk factors involved and population growth, the numbers will increase in the coming years.…”