RESUMO
A review of the clinical aspects of oesophageal carcinoma in Sudanese patients and a comparison with internationally published series. Patients and A retrospective study of 84 cases with histologically proven oesophageal carcinoma which presented to the Ear, Nose and Throat Department, Wad Medani Teaching Hospital, Wad Medani, Sudan from 1995 to 1999. All patients underwent rigid oesophagoscopy under general anaesthesia. A total number of 84 cases were reviewed. The main presenting symptom was dysphagia. Patients' ages range was 18-80 years with a mean age of 54.1 years. Thirty seven patients [44%] were 18-50 years of age and 47 patients [56%] were above 50 years. Forty eight patients [57%] were females and 36 patients [43%] were males. Female to male ratio was 1.3:1.0. Seventy five% of patients belonged to low socioeconomic groups. The most common site was the upper third of the oesophagus [71.4%] followed by the middle third [23.8%] and the lower third [4.8%]. In 95.2% the tumour was a squamous cell carcinoma and in 4.8% it was an adenocarcinoma. Oesophageal carcinoma in Sudanese patients is more common in females and occurs at a younger age group. The most affected site [71.4%] is the upper third and the most common tumour [95.2%] is the squamous cell carcinoma