Oesophageal carcinoma in Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Addis Ababa

A five year review of oesophageal carcinoma in Tikur Anbessa Hospital (TAH), Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine is presented. One hundred and forty two patients representing 32.5% of all gastrointestinal and 13.8% of all malignant tumours were seen in the Department during the study period. The age range was 22 to 88 years with a mean of 54 years. There were 54 females and 88 males. Dysphagia, weight loss and anaemia were the significant features in the majority and 40% of patients presented between four and seven months. Squamous cell cancer accounted for 93% of all histologic types. The middle third was the commonest site of tumour formation (49%) while the lower third accounted for 44%. An operability rate of 56% is recorded but only 24% were suitable for oesophagectomy. The post operative mortality was 28%. The commonest causes of death were sepsis secondary to anastomotic leak and pneumonia. Follow up was possible only for three months for eleven patients and seven months for seven patients. The rest could not be traced. It is difficult not to implicate the commonly used dietary ingredients in the causation of this tumour.