Trends in reported vulval cancer in Zimbabwe, 2006-2014

Abstract

Objective: To determine the trends in reported vulval cancer in Zimbabwe between the years 2006 and 2014 and to determine the age groups with the highest number of reported cases.

Setting: The Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry located in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Subjects: Patients with histologically confirmed vulval cancer reported to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry between 2006 and 2014.

Main Outcome Measures: The outcome measures were the number of cases of vulval cancer that were reported between 2006 and 2014, the percentage of all the reported gynaecological cancer that they constituted and the age ranges with the highest number of reported cases.

Results: Reported cases of vulval cancer rose from 16 in 2006 to 54 in 2013. In 2014 there were 46 reported cases. Vulval cancer constituted 1.8% of all reported gynaecological cancer in 2006 rising to 3.9% in 2013.In 2014 it constituted 2.8% of all reported gynaecological cancer. In 2006 the majority of the reported cases (43.8%) were aged 55 to 69 years whilst for the rest of the years the majority was aged 25 to 39 years.

Conclusions: The number of reported cases of vulval cancer and the proportion of gynaecological cancer that they constituted both increased between the years 2006 and 2014. The majority of women affected by the malignancy were in the 25 to 39 years age group.