Epidemiological study of the hand tumors in Tunisia: About 383 cases. Issue 2 (March 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hassini, Lassaad; Alaya, Zeineb; Jedidi, Mehdi; Khalifa, Mohamed Ali; Osman, Walid; Ben Ayèche, Mohamed Laaziz
• Is Part Of: Current orthopaedic practice. Volume 30:Issue 2(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-03
• Subjects: epidemiology -- tumors of hand -- bone -- soft tissue -- digital metastases; Orthopedics -- Periodicals; 616.7005
• DOI: 10.1097/BCO.0000000000000718
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1940-7041

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Tumors of the hand constitute a reason for regular consultation. They represent 15% of the soft-tissue tumors. Epidemiological data available in this area remain few and sometimes discordant as to the regained prevalence. In this context, it appeared interesting to carry out a study of these lesions to try to identify the epidemiological notions relevant to the daily medical practice. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of all hand tumors operated on in the Orthopedic Department of Sahloul University Hospital in Sousse, Tunisia over a period of 18 yr. Results: During the period of our study, 383 patients were admitted with a diagnosis of hand tumor. A female predominance was found: 221 women, or 58% of the cases. The average age of patients was 39.5 yr with extremes ranging from 1 to 94 yr. There were 221 soft-tissue tumors (i.e. 57.7% of our population), 114 skin-tissue tumors (29.8%), and 48 bone tumors (12.5%). The prevalence of malignant tumors was therefore 6.26%. Conclusions: Our series included 385 hand tumors in 383 patients. It was the sixth largest population in the literature. The data found in this study are comparable to other published data. Soft-tissue tumors were the most frequent, with a prevalence ranging from 69.7% to 97.4%. The prevalence of cutaneous tumors varied from 4.5 to 35.6%. They are benign in 72% to 95%. Finally, in view of these epidemiological data, we can only suggest certain etiopathogenic hypotheses whose truths remain to be confirmed by research.