A five-year review of female genital tract malignancies in Sokoto, Northwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Although female genital malignancies are known to contribute significantly to the disease burden in the developing world, little has been reported on them from the northwest of Nigeria. This study was thus conducted to determine the prevalence and clinico-pathological patterns of these tumors in Sokoto, Nigeria. A retrospective review of cancers of the female genital tract diagnosed at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto in the period 1999 to 2003 was carried out. Female genital cancers were found to constitute about 14% of all cancers in the center. The pateints\' ages ranged from 11 months to 95 years with a mean of 44 (SDI5) years. The majority of tumors were of cervical origin (61.5%) followed by ovarian cancers (18.2%) and malignant gestational trophoblastic tumors (13.3%). We conclude that female genital malignancies are an important public health problem in northwestern Nigeria and that access to appropriate, cost-effective prevention and treatment options is required for a large number of women. It is recommended that this process is accelerated through heightened awareness of the female genital cancers among members of the community and health care providers. In addition, innovative approaches to screening and treatment of precancerous cervical lesions and improved service delivery systems are required.


Keywords: female genital malignancies, Sokoto, Nigeria

Mary Slessor Journal of Medicine Vol. 5(1), 2005: 51-56