Patterns and Distribution of Bone Tumors among Patients at Kumi Orthopaedic Center: A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Primary bone tumors, although rare, are an important rising cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa. Late presentation, delayed diagnosis, and failure to obtain proper management are important causes of loss of limbs and lives especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Existing data on primary bone tumors in Uganda for the various regional levels is limited. This study aimed to determine the patterns and distributions of primary bone tumors especially in rural Uganda. Methods: This was a retrospective study carried out at Kumi Orthopaedic Center from 2012 to 2023. Patients’ information regarding the histological type of bone tumor, age, sex, and tumor site was obtained from their files. Results: A total of 115 bone tumors were seen over the study period. The mean age of patients was 30 years ± 20.1 years (range: 1 to 80 years). The majority of the patients were males 67 (58.3%) and females were 48 (42.6%). Benign tumors accounted for 66 (57.4%) of the tumors while malignant tumors were 49 (42.6%). Most tumors (both benign and malignant) were found in patients between the ages of 11 to 20 years 46 (40.1%) followed by those between 21 to 30 years 15 (13.2%) and the least were in the elderly aged 71 to 80 years 4 (3.5%). The commonest benign tumors were osteochondroma 14 (21.2%), cysts 11 (16.7%), hemangiomas 9 (13.6%), and fibrous dysplasia of the bone 8 (12.1%). The commonest malignant tumors were plasmacytoma 10 (20.4%) followed by metastases 8 (16.3%), osteosarcomas 7 (14.3%), lymphoma 5 (10.2%), and fibrosarcoma 4 (8.2%). Conclusion: Uganda shares some similar epidemiological characteristics of primary bone tumors with other countries; however, this study identified some peculiar differences. Population-based studies are required to obtain more accurate epidemiological data to improve patient diagnosis and treatment.