Clinicopathological Features and Anatomical Patterns of Head and Neck Tumors From Cape Coast Teaching Hospital and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background There is still a dearth of information on the prevalence and histological patterns of head and neck tumors (HNT) in Ghana, which emphasizes the need for regional studies to learn more about their distribution and clinical features. Aim Thus, the present study aimed to describe the anatomical pattern and clinicopathological features among patients with HNT at some selected hospitals in Ghana. Method The study was retrospective in design, which consisted of laboratory analysis of archived HNT tissues. The study was conducted with 250 archived paraffin‐embedded HNT tissue samples from the Pathology Department of Cape Coast Teaching Hospital and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana. The various tumor grades were analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin staining on tissue samples from a consecutive series of 150 HNT samples, out of 250 patients who underwent tumor resection over a 4‐year period. Results There were 148 males and 102 females, giving a male‐to‐female ratio of 1.45:1. The age range was 10–89 years. The commonest anatomical site of patients with the HNT was the oral cavity (34%), followed by the nasal cavity (25.2%) and mandible (24%). The majority of the patients with HNT were recorded in 2018 (23%). Conclusion This study reveals that the oral cavity is the commonest HNT in Ghana, with a higher occurrence observed in patients above 40 years old. Therefore, there is a need to undertake public health education to raise awareness to promote early detection and management of the disease.