Scope and determinants of practice of surgical oncology among maxillofacial surgeons in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Head and neck cancers arc associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Previous report suggested a low level of practice of maxillofacial oncology in Nigeria, even in the face of significant burden of head and neck cancers in our environment. Material and methods: This study w a s a questionnaire based cross sectional survey of known maxillofacial surgeons in Nigeria with regards to the scope and determinants of the practice of cancer surgical care. Results: A total of fifty-three oral and maxillofacial surgeons participated in this survey. All respondents were involved in cancer surgery, however. 18 of the respondents only managed between 6-10 cases per year. An overwhelming majority of the respondents (39. 73.6%) worked in teaching hospitals. Thirty-six (67.9%) of the respondents managed cancer patients without a multidisciplinary care team. Multimodal treatment including radiotherapy was only rarely available. Capacity for reconstruction was limited as only 4 of the respondents were competent to carry out microvascular tissue transfer.