Bone Tumors of the Musculoskeletal System at the Cnhu-Hkm in Cotonou

Background: Tumor pathology, specifically bone tumors, is less frequent among all musculoskeletal diseases, but it is in full resurgence in the world. Studies have shown that the prevalence of tumor pathology is gradually increasing in Africa. Musculoskeletal bone tumors of the limb are less frequent. They often require clinical examination and imaging coupled with biopsy for their diagnosis. It can be a tragedy in developing countries like ours, depending on the histological nature of the tumor. Despite this, few data were retrieved in the literature review regarding the actual proportion of bone tumors, more specifically in Benin. Methods: This was a fifteen-year descriptive and analytic retrospective study. We recruited all patients with bone tumors of the musculoskeletal system in three units, namely the Orthopedic, Traumatology and Reconstructive Surgical Unit, Rheumatology Unit, and Internal Medicine and Palliative Care Unit at the Cotonou National Teaching Hospital from 1st January 2007 to 31st December 2022. Patients aged 15 years and above with musculoskeletal bone tumors were included. Those with radiation-induced lesions were excluded from our study. Therefore, this work had as objectives to study the epidemiological, lesion, and management aspects of the musculoskeletal tumor. Results: We identified a total of 97 cases of bone tumors out of the 13,161 medical files, with a prevalence of 0.74%. We had 48 men and 49 women, with a sex ratio of 0.97 and an average age of 48.67 ± 16.93 years, with extremes ranging from 15 to 82 years. Pain (94.84%), swelling (29.90%), and pathological fractures (12.77%) were the major complaints. The period between the first symptoms and the first consultation was 21 months. Malignant tumors were more common (n = 51), with multiple myeloma as the primary tumor and breast and prostate cancer metastases as secondary tumors; the most represented benign tumor was giant cell tumor (n = 9). Chemotherapy (48.49%), surgery (35.29%), and radiotherapy (2.06%) were the most commonly used therapies. Conclusion: Bone tumors of the limb are found in young adults regardless of gender. Multiple myeloma as a primary tumor and secondary carcinoma were the most represented in our study. Chemotherapy and surgery were the principal means of management of our patients.