Solid Malignancies in Children and Adolescents: Experience at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital

Background and Objective: The prevalence of malignancies in children and adolescents in our locality is largely unknown. The objective of the present study was therefore to determine the hospital incidence and pattern of solid malignancies among children and adolescents aged 16 years and below, who presented at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital during a 12-year period. Materials and Methods: All surgical biopsies from patients aged 0-16 years that were diagnosed as malignancies at the Anatomical Pathology department of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital during the period, January 1, 1990 to December 31, 2001, were retrieved and reviewed. Missing or broken slides were re-cut from tissue blocks and re-stained. Results: Paediatric and adolescent solid malignancies constituted 8.2 percent of solid malignancies diagnosed during the study period. The commonest of these were Burkitt's lymphoma (41.6 percent), Wilms' tumour (14.5 percent) and rhabdomyosarcoma (12.1 percent). Seventy four percent of the cases which were twice as common in males as in females, occurred before the age of nine years. The head, neck, abdomen, trunk and limbs were the most frequent sites affected. Rhabdomyosarcoma showed a bimodal age distribution. Geographical differences were noted with certain tumours when compared with previous reports from elsewhere in the country. Conclusion: There is a need for further research on all childhood and adolescent malignancies in our locality including trends and determinants of any geographical variability. Nigerian Journal of Paediatrics Vol.31(2) 2004: 43-4