[Malignant tumors of the eye and adnexa in Congo-Kinshasa]

To determine the frequency and to study anatomic and clinical features of malignant tumors of the eye and adnexa.

A retrospective (1962-1990) and prospective (1990-1992) study of 164 medical records of patients with histopathologic confirmation of malignant tumors of the eye and adnexa. All the patients received a conventional ophthalmological examination and underwent surgical biopsy. Histopathologic examinations were performed for a large part at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Iowa and for a small part at the Department of Histopathology, University Hospital of Kinshasa.

There were 99 (60%) male and 65 (40%) female for a sex ratio of 1.5: 1. The mean age of patients was 24.6 +/- 21.4 years. Epibulbar (35%) and intraocular (33%) tumors were the most frequent, followed by orbital tumors (20%). Epidermoid carcinoma and retinoblastoma were the most common histologic forms, representing respectively 33.5% and 31.7% of all malignant tumors of the eye and adnexa. They occurred especially in adults between 20 and 60 years for the first and in children below 5 years for the second. Metastatic tumors accounted for 9.7% of all cancers of the eye and adnexa. Kaposi's angiosarcoma was encountered in 3.6% of cases and in 3% it was associated with AIDS. Burkitt's lymphoma was seen in 3% of cases, basal cell carcinoma as well as in situ carcinoma in 2.4% of cases. Malignant lymphoma and adenocarcinoma both accounted for 1.8% of all cases of cancers of the eye and adnexa while adenoid cystic carcinoma, liposarcoma as well as rhabdomyosarcoma accounted for 1.2% of all cases. Other types of tumors were seen in very small proportion.

Our results were similar to those of other studies in Africa and were different from those of European and American studies.