Ocular tumors in Togo: epidemiological, clinical, and histopathological features observed at the Lome Teaching Hospital of Sylvanus Olympio

Purpose: To describe the epidemiological, clinical, and histopathological features of ocular tumors in Togo. Methods: We have a retrospective and descriptive study of the ocular specimens registered in the pathology laboratory from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2010. The frequency of ocular tumors, the patients' age and sex, the department from which the specimen came, the sampling procedure, and the histopathological patterns were analyzed. Results: During the study period, 80 ocular specimens were recorded among a total of 6000, for a frequency of 1.33%. Histopathological results were available for 45 cases in our sample. The mean age was 30.9 +/- 15.1 years, and the sex ratio 0.88 (21M/24F). The two teaching hospitals in Lome furnished 73.4% of the ocular specimens. The most common site was the conjunctiva, accounting for 75.5% of the cases. Benign tumors represented 69.9% of the histological diagnoses. Papilloma was the histopathological diagnosis in 33.3% of cases. Conclusion: Ocular tumors are relatively common, occur at any age, and are located most often in the conjunctiva. Close collaboration between the pathologist and the ophthalmologist is essential for the best management of these tumors.