The Frequency and Pattern of Female Genital Tract Malignancies at the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital, Yola, Nigeria, Eight-year review

Abstract

Background: Gynecological cancers are common and are among the leading causes of cancer‑related deaths worldwide.

Objective: The objective was to determine the frequency, trend, and age pattern of female genital tract malignancy at a referral tertiary health facility in Northeast Nigeria.

Method: An 8-year retrospective descriptive analysis of confirmed cases of female genital tract malignancies was conducted at the MAUTH, Yola. The case notes of patients managed for female genital tract malignancies between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2023, were retrieved from the medical records and cancer registry of the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital, Yola, and relevant data were extracted. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), and the results were expressed in descriptive statistics by simple percentages.

Results: Five hundred and sixty-eight (568) cases of genital malignancies were recorded during the 8-year review. The majority of the patients were in the fifth and sixth decades of life. Cancer of the cervix accounted for 63.2.9% (359) followed by ovarian cancer 21.1% (120). The other tumors seen during the period were tumors involving corpus uteri 6.3% (36), choriocarcinoma 6.5%, (37) vulva 1.8% (10), and vagina 1.1% (6). The age distribution was mainly within the 19-80 age range with a peak occurrence at the 40-59 age group 244 (43.0%). The incidence of cervical and ovarian cancers peaked at 40-59 years with 166 (46.2%) and 45 (37.5%) of the individual cancers respectively.

Conclusion: Despite the preventable nature of cancer of the cervix, it remained the most common female genital tract malignancy in Adamawa, North-East Nigeria. In our low-resource setting in developing countries, education, and public enlightenment on the importance of vaccination, routine screening, and treatment of premalignant lesions of the cervix are necessary tools to reduce the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer.