Identifying Risk Factors for Morbidity and Mortality in Patients with Primary Head and Neck Cancers in a Nigerian Population

Adeyi A Adoga; John P Yaro; Joyce G Mugu; Chukwunonso J Mgbachi

doi:10.1177/1179554918783986

Identifying Risk Factors for Morbidity and Mortality in Patients with Primary Head and Neck Cancers in a Nigerian Population

Clin Med Insights Oncol. 2018 Jun 25:12:1179554918783986. doi: 10.1177/1179554918783986. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Adeyi A Adoga^{1

2}, John P Yaro², Joyce G Mugu², Chukwunonso J Mgbachi²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria.
² Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: The risk factors for head and neck cancers (HNC) vary in different parts of the world.

Objectives: To identify the risk factors for HNC and the correlation between these factors and the involved anatomical sites.

Methods: We retrieved and analyzed health records of patients that met the inclusion criteria for HNC managed at our facility in a 10-year period using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) version 10.

Results: We studied 122 patients with a male to female ratio of 2.1:1 aged 13 years to 85 years (mean = 51 years). Alcohol (P = .02), cigarette smoking (P = .01), and cooking wood smoke (P = .01) were associated with advanced tumor stage.

Conclusions: The strongest risk factors for HNC are alcohol, tobacco, HIV, agricultural chemicals, and cooking wood fumes in both sexes in their sixth and seventh decades.

Keywords: Head and neck cancers; Jos-Nigeria; risk factors.