Esophageal Cancer in a Sahelian Country (Chad): Epidemiological, Clinical and Histological Aspects

Abstract

Introduction : Esophageal cancer is a serious pathology with a generally poor prognosis. Diagnosis is histological and based on endoscopic sampling. The aim of our study is to determine the epidemiological, clinical and morphological aspects of esophageal cancers in N’Djamena, Chad. Methodology : This is a descriptive, cross-sectional and analytical study from 2014 to 2024, i.e. a 10-year period. All cases of esophageal cancer with histological confirmation included histological findings. Biopsies were in all cases per endoscopic and were obtained from the Gastroenterology Department of the National General Reference Teaching Hospital of N’Djamena. Results : Thirty-seven cases of esophageal cancer out of a total of 1523 were diagnosed at the CHU RN laboratory of pathology. The cases were predominantly male, with an M/F sex-ratio of 1.6. The predominant age range was between 50 and 70 years, with an average age of 55.2 ± 17.2 years. Dysphagia was the most common clinical symptom, accounting for 56.76% of cases. Macroscopillay, ulcerative lesions predominated at 51.35%. The upper two-thirds of the oesophagus was the most frequent site, with 72.97%. In histology study, squamous cell carcinoma was the dominant type with 75.68%, followed by adenocarcinoma. Conclusion : Esophageal cancer is a frequent pathology encountered at Reference National Teaching Hospital, affecting mainly men over the age of 50. Diagnosis is histological.