Trend of gynecological cancers in a tertiary centre in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Gynecologic cancers are a group of cancers that begin in the female reproductive organs including the Cervix, Ovaries, Uterus, Vagina and Vulva. They encompass a diverse group of tumors with different epidemiological, pathological features, clinical presentations and treatment strategies. Although all affect the female reproductive tract, each of the gynecologic cancers present with different challenges related to prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment, necessitating focused research on each of these disease malignancies.

Objectives: To review the trend of Gynecological cancer in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) from January 2004 – December 2013.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of histologically confirmed Gynecological cancers seen at the Department of Radiotherapy, LUTH from January 2004 – December 2013. Case files were retrieved through the medical record department and the information required was extracted with the aid of a data extraction form.

Results: A total of 696 Gynecological cancer cases were seen during the period under review. The mean age of cancer presentation was 55(+/-16.44) years. The largest numbers of Gynecological cancers occurred in the 5th–6th decades of life; 52.4% (365) of the cancers occurred in these age groups. The commonest gynecologic cancer was cervical cancer which constituted about 81% (564) of the cases, followed by ovarian cancer comprising of about 16%(110) of gynecologic cancers. Endometrial 1.87% (13), Vagina 0.29% (2) and Vulva cancers 1.0% (7) are not as common. The mean age of women with cervical cancer at diagnosis was 51years while that of Ovarian and Endometrial were 59 years and 50 years respectively.

Conclusion: Generally, cancer incidence in Nigeria appears low compared to developed countries which may not truly reflect the burden of the disease. This could be due to poor population based statistics and poor health patronage of orthodox medical care.

Keywords: Cervical cancers, Ovarian cancer, Endometrial cancer, Nigeria