An appraisal of the pattern of gynaecological cancers at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The pattern of gynaecological cancers varies from country to country and from region to region even in the same country. Understanding the prevalence as well as the histological pattern will aid diagnosis and treatment of patients.
Objectives: To establish the frequency, distribution and histopathologic features of gynaecological malignancies at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).
Methodology: This was a 5-year retrospective analysis of data from ward admissions and histopathology results. Relevant information extracted were analysed using Microsoft Excel Analysis ToolPak version 2.0.
Results: During the study period from 1st of January 2015 to 31st of December 2019, 94 patients had histologically confirmed gynaecological malignancy with a prevalence of 3.6%. Cervical cancer was the most common in 45 (47.9%) cases, followed by ovarian cancer in 27(28.7%) cases while vaginal and fallopian tube cancers were not reported. The mean age for cervical cancer was 57.71±12.1 years, ovarian cancer 49.96±13.12 years, endometrial cancer 59±13 years, leiomyosarcoma 60.33±0.58 years and vulva 62.40±14.76 years. High parity was significantly associated with cervical cancer (p=0.0045, OR=3.5). Squamous cell carcinoma was the commonest histological variant of cervical cancer, while epithelial tumours made up 85.2% of ovarian tumours.
Conclusion: Cervical cancer is the most common gynaecological malignancy followed by ovarian cancer. Reduction of high parity through effective family planning may reduce the prevalence of cervical cancer among the study population. National policy on screening and prevention for cervical cancer in Nigeria is long overdue.