Pattern of primary female genital cancer in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria: a 12-year Review

A retrospective study of 278 gynaecological malignancies was carried out for a period of 12 years (1990-2001) by the authors in the University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port-Harcourt (UPTH) with respect to age, site and histological pattern of the cancers in each anatomical class. Cancers of the cervix, ovaries and the vulva were commoner in the age group 50 – 59 years while those of the uterus and the vagina were commoner in the age group 60 – 69 years. Of the given anatomical classes, cancer of the cervix formed the majority, accounting for 63% of the cases, and the least was cancer of the vulva which recorded 3.2%. Others in order of frequency were ovary 15.5%, uterus 13.3% and vagina 5%. In all the cases, except those of the uterus and ovaries-where choriocarcinoma and serous papillary cystadenocarcinomas were more frequent, squamous cell carcinoma of “well and moderately differentiated variants formed majority. The uterine cancers were made up of both epithelial and mesenchymal cancers. Severely dysplastic lesions were considered as malignant since they showed all the characteristics of malignancy except infiltration of the surrounding tissues. Key words: Gynaecological malignancies; Age, Sites and Histological types Sahel Med. J. Vol.6(2) 2003: 34-3