Abstract
The incidence of tongue carcinoma in Trinidad and Tobago and the greater West Indies is unknown; therefore, the present study examines the frequency of tongue carcinoma cases, drawing comparisons to worldwide and regional data. A retrospective analysis of all confirmed cases of tongue carcinoma was conducted using eight years of data from the pathology records at the Port of Spain General Hospital (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago). A total of 26 cases were confirmed, of which 21 were male (81%) and five were female (19%). The age range was 29–86 years, with a mean age of 57 years, and the most common group affected was the 61–70 years age group. In addition, the number of newly diagnosed cases per year ranged between one and seven, with an average of 3.25 new cases per year and a peak incidence of seven new cases in the year of 2009. In the 19 cases where the degree of differentiation was recorded, histological analysis revealed the extent of differentiation as follows: Five cases (26%) were poorly-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC); eight cases (42%) were moderately-differentiated SCC; and six cases (32%) were well-differentiated SCC. In addition, one case of chronic inflammatory process and one case of mucoepidermoid adenocarcinoma of the tongue in a 57-year-old female were identified. Overall, the incidence of tongue carcinoma in Trinidad and Tobago appears to be low, estimated at 0.46/100,000 individuals/year. The male:female ratio is 4:1 and SCC is the dominant cancer type (96% of cases). The peak age of occurrence is at 61–70 years. These findings are in agreement with previously determined global data, however, additional research of the risk factors and outcomes of surgery as a treatment strategy for tongue carcinoma is required.
Highlights
The estimated global annual incidence of oral cancer is 275,000 cases, with a higher incidence in developing countries and >90% classified as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (1)
Retrospective data regarding all cases of tongue histology were collected from the electronic records of the Department of Pathology at the Port of Spain General Hospital (POSGH; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) from the period between October 2003 and February 2012
It is known to occur more frequently in developing countries and >90% of carcinoma cases in developing countries are classified as SCC (1)
Summary
The estimated global annual incidence of oral cancer is 275,000 cases, with a higher incidence in developing countries and >90% classified as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (1). Clinical presentation includes a persistent red or white patch, a sore throat or a chronic ulcer. Tongue SCC is the most prevalent type of oral cancer, accounting for 25‐40% of oral SCCs (2). Trinidad and Tobago are the southern‐most islands in the Caribbean sea, adjacent to the coast of Venezuela, and are composed of a diverse mix of ethnicities, including individuals of Indian descent (40%), African descent (38%), mixed ethnicity (20%) and individuals of European, Chinese and Arabic descent (2%). No epidemiological data exists for tongue SCC in Trinidad and Tobago and the West Indies. The present study was conducted to provide data on this rare but preventable malignancy
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