Multiple Primary Malignancies in Patients: Case Reports of Five Patients in Northern Zambia

Abstract

Occurrences of multiple discrete synchronous or metachronous primary neoplasms in a single patient though reported are not a common occurrence. In the last the last ten years five patients presented to Nchanga South Hospital in Chingola, Zambia with multiple discrete malignancies. The mean age of our patients was 43.6 years. The oldest was 56 years old and the youngest was 36 years old. Four of our patients were females. Two patients had cancers of the colon followed by ovarian malignancy in one and a rectal malignancy in the other. Of the other patients, one had cancer of the cervix and later she developed None Hodgkin's lymphoma. Two had bilateral breast malignancies. In two of our patients there was synchronous development of the tumours and in three there was Metachronous development The risk factors in our patients were; receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy and the presence of HIV.