Oesophageal cancer: a common malignancy in young people of Bomet District, Kenya

Lancet. 2002 Aug 10;360(9331):462-3. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)09639-3.

Abstract

Oesophageal cancer is a common cancer with uneven geographical distribution. We reviewed all malignancies diagnosed at Tenwek Hospital (Bomet District, Kenya) between 1989 and 1998. Oesophageal cancer was the most common malignancy; 274 cases accounted for 19% of 1459 malignancies diagnosed, and for a steady rise in total cancer cases during this period. A striking feature of our study was the presence of a subset of very young patients. 26 (11%) patients were aged 30 years or less at diagnosis, and the youngest patient was 14 years old. This area of West Kenya seems to be a high-risk region for oesophageal cancer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Esophageal Neoplasms / epidemiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Kenya / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Neoplasms / epidemiology