The surgical management and outcome of oesophageal cancer in Addis Ababa

One hundred and forty two patients with oesophageal cancer seen from 1992-1 996 at a surgical unit of Tikur Anbessa Hospital (TAH), Department of Surge ry, Faculty of Medicine were studied retrospectively. It represented 13.8% of all malignant rumours that were seen in the department during the study period. Seventy four patients (52%) were explored and thirty four (46%) of- them had resection, 27 (80%) had locally invasive tumours). Of the thirty f our patients that were explored, thirty had an Ivor-Lewis type of resection , using stomach tube through the right side of the chest, and four had part ial gastero-oesophagectomy with gastero-oesophagostomy in the left side of the chest. The post operative mortality was 21 (28%). The commonest causes of death were sepsis secondary to anastomotic leak and pneumonia. Follow up was possible for eighteen patients, eleven of them for seven months and th e rest for seventeen months, all were doing well. Sixteen patients could no t be traced.