Nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Uganda

Abstract

Review of histologic material seen in Uganda over the 5‐year period, 1964–1968, revealed 83 cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma out of a total of 7,000 malignant tumors. All tumors conformed to the anaplastic type, but those with a small cell structure occurred in older men than those made up of larger cells. The histologic appearances of this tumor were seen but rarely in other sites. In Uganda, tumors occur at a remarkably young age; 25% occur in people under the age of 20 years. The different tribes vary markedly in tumor incidence; Nilotic and Para‐Nilotic peoples show a much higher incidence at an earlier age than Bantu or Sudanic groups. The extent to which these differences are due to hereditary and environmental factors is uncertain. It would seem that both will influence the incidence within a given community. Copyright © 1972 American Cancer Society