Carcinoma of the oesophagus in the Sudan

The histopathological reports of 135 specimens of carcinoma of the oesophagus received in the Central Research Laboratory in Khartoum during the period 1965 to 1974 and the clinical data of 14 cases treated at the University Department of Surgery in the period 1970 to 1974 are analysed. The incidence in the Sudan is 1.4% of all malignant tumours. The disease affected both sexes equally; is most common at the age of 50-69 and is commoner in patients from the North. Of the different aetiological factors mentioned in the literature the habit of placing tobacco under the tongue or in the labiodental groove seems to be associated with a high incidence of oral cancer and possibly also of oesophageal cancer in much the same way as in Russia. The low resectability rate of 16.3% is due to the high surgical risk of the patients and the lack of supportive measures. Radiotherapy and palliation by indwelling tubes are commonly used with the objective of enabling the patient to swallow.