A Ten-Year Review of Ovarian Cancer in Enugu, South East Nigeria

Objective: To review the pattern and management of ovarian cancer over a ten-year period at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu. Methods: A retrospective review of cases of histologically diagnosed primary ovarian cancers from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2009. Results: Out of 20,227 gynaecological admissions during the study period, 200 cases of primary gynaecological cancers were involved. Ovarian cancer constituted 25.0% of all gynaecological malignancies giving an incidence rate of 1 per 405 gynaecological admissions per year. The mean age of cases at presentation was 45.4 ± 17.1years. Epithelial ovarian cancer constituted 68.0% of ovarian cancer. Approximately 60.0% of women who had epithelial ovarian cancer were aged 50 years or below. Parous women constituted 72.4% of epithelial ovarian cancer out of which 38.0% were grandmultiparous women. All the cancers in pre-menarcheal girls were germ cell tumours. Most of the cases had surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. However, most patients (68.0%) had only one or two courses of cisplatinum based combination chemotherapy only to abandon further treatment. Conclusion: This study supports an emerging pattern of early onset of, and substantial involvement of multiparous women in, epithelial ovarian cancer among patients treated at the study centre. The management challenge posed by the pattern of presentation of a majority of cases is compounded by a trend towards abandonment of chemotherapy by most patients. Key Words: Review, Ovarian cancer, Enugu. Afrimedic Journal 2011;2(1):8-1