Testicular Tumors In Port Harcourt (A Ten-Year Review)

Background: Primary testicular tumours are rare in this environment, affecting mainly children and are associated with maldescended testis, mumps infection and trauma. There is no obvious association with gas flaring and fumes emitted by industrial machines or occupational exposure. Objective: Highlighting the pattern of testicular tumours in Port Harcourt based on age of patients and histological types. Design: A retrospective descriptive study. Method: Twelve testicular tumours diagnosed in ten years (1991 - 2000) were studied in the University of Part Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) Port Harcourt. Histology slides previously stained with haematoxylin and eosin stains were used for the study. Special stains like phosphotongstic acid hematoxylin (PTAH) were also used to confirm diagnosis. Result: The tumours are rare in this environment as it accounted for 0.7% of total malignancies during the study period. The youngest was 3 years old while the eldest was 48 years old. Majority of (33.3%) cases occurred in the age group of 0-9 years and the least occurred in 40-49 years age group (8.3%). Germ cell tumours were commonest (75%) while the sexcord-stromal tumours, adnexial tumours and the lymphoid tumours were the least together accounting for 25% in equal proportions. There is an average distribution of 3 tumours in 2 years in this study and the tumour is commoner in the children of school age. Conclusion: Testicular tumours in Port Harcourt though very few in number, correlates well with the pattern in other parts of the world. Key Words: Testicular tumours, patterns, age, Port Harcourt. Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice Vol. 7(2) 2004: 56-5