Major salivary gland tumours in a rural Kenyan hospital.

BACKGROUND

Salivary gland tumours are not well characterised in Africa. The Kijabe Hospital Pathology Laboratory operates a pathology service utilised by twenty one church/mission hospitals and thus has accumulated data from many parts of Kenya regarding major salivary gland neoplasms.

OBJECTIVE

To review the specimens in order to help understand the spectrum of the salivary gland neoplasms in Kenya.

DESIGN

Data on all major salivary gland tumours examined over the study period were obtained from the Pathology department computer database. Basic information on age, tribe, pathological diagnosis and site of the tumour were available for analysis.

SETTING

A rural hospital in Kenya with a pathology service serving 21 church/mission hospitals throughout Kenya.

SUBJECTS

All major salivary gland neoplasms examined in the pathology laboratory over the period January 1992 to December 1999.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Age, tribe, pathological diagnosis, site of specimen.

RESULTS

Over the period 1992 to 1999, 135 major primary salivary gland neoplasms were examined. Amongst 103 parotid tumours, 46% were pleomorphic adenomas and 19% were monomorphic adenomas. Consistent with other studies from sub-Saharan Africa, the Warthin's tumour was rare. The commonest malignant tumour was the mucoepidermoid carcinoma comprising 14% of specimens. Thirty two submandibularneoplasms are described. The commonest tumour was the pleomorphic adenoma (78%) and the commonest malignant tumour was the mucoepidermoid carcinoma (9%).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with other African studies, these figures are similar although in Kenya there is a predominance of monomorphic adenomas. Compared with Western studies there is an increased ratio of malignant to benign tumours and Warthin's tumours are much less common in Africa.