Histopathologic pattern of neoplastic testicular and paratesticular lesions in university of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital: a 10-year retrospective review

Abstract

Objective: The present study is undertaken to describe the spectrum of histopathological features and age distribution of neoplastic testicular and paratesticular lesions in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive study of 14 testicular and paratesticular neoplastic lesions was conducted over a period of 10 years; between January-2005 and December-2014 in the Department of Histopathology, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. Histopathological examination was done after routine processing and staining with Haematoxylin & Eosin.

Results: There were 14 cases of neoplastic testicular and paratesticular tumours of which 12cases (85.7%) were malignant lesions and 2 (14.3%) were benign. There were 7 cases (50.0%) of testicular germ cell tumours, 4 cases (28.6%) of paratesticular tumoursand 3 cases (21.4%) of metastasis to the testis. The testicular germ cell tumours also accounted for 100% of all primary testicular tumours. These included 3 cases (42.9%) of seminoma and teratoma each and a case (14.3%) of endodermal sinus tumour (yolk sac tumour). The age distribution of the testicular and paratesticular tumours in this study shows that the majority of malignant lesions were present in the third and sixth decades of life (66.6%), while the only two benign lesions have also one case each in the third and sixth decades of life. The study also shows thatonly 2 cases were seen in the second decade of life; a case of seminoma in a 14-year-old boy and rhabdomyosarcoma in 15 years old, while the oldest patient was a 61-year-old male whose diagnosis was yolk sac tumour.

Conclusion: This study highlights the rarity of testicular tumours in Maiduguri, Northeastern Nigeria and correlates well with the histopathological spectrum of testicular tumours in other parts of the world. The relative higher percentage of up 21.4% of cases of metastasis to the testis also emphasizes the need for thorough evaluation of testicular specimens especially in cases of advanced carcinoma of the prostate.

Keywords: testicular, neoplastic lesions, histopathology