THE FREQUENCY OF COMMON HISTOLOGICAL TYPES OFORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL MALIGNANCIES

Abstract

Malignant neoplasms of the oral and maxillofacial region are amongst the commonest malignancies reported worldwide with significant variation seen across continents. There is a dearth of publications regarding this topic from the Asian continent therefore a gap in knowledge exists regarding the most prevalent type of carcinomas and sarcomas in this region. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of common types of oral and maxillofacial malignancies in patients presenting with malignant tumors. This descriptive study was carried out from July 2013 to April 2015. One hundred and forty six patients were included in this study who presented to the Department of Oral and Maxil-lofacial Surgery at Khyber College of Dentistry, Peshawar. Demographic data such as age, gender and data pertaining to frequency and histological type of malignancy were noted in a customized proforma. The diagnosis and type of malignancy were confirmed via histopathological examination of a biopsy specimen. There was a male predilection amongst patients presenting with oral and maxillofacial malignancies with a male to female ratio 2.1:1. The mean age of the sample was 52.37±17.16 years. Majority of the malignancies were diagnosed as carcinomas (86.9%). Amongst carcinomas, Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common (91.4%). Overall, the most common malignancy was squamous cell carcinoma (79.5%), whereas Burkitt’s lymphoma was the most common sarcoma (52.6%). It was concluded that more male patients were affected with oral and maxillofacial malignancies. The 4th and 5th decades of life were the most common age group that presented with oral and maxillofacial malignancies. Carcinomas were more common than sarcomas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The most common histologic type of carcinoma was squamous cell carcinoma and the most common type of sarcoma was Burkitt’s lymphoma