ABSTRACT
Background : Uterine sarcomas are rare gyneacologic malignancies with a high mortality.There is the need to determine its frequency; clinical presentation and histologic variants.This may form the basis for further research and management inorder to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with it. Design : A 12-year hospital based retros- pective clinico-pathological study. Setting : University of Port HarcourtTeaching Hospital (UPTH); Port Harcourt; Nigeria. Subject: Women with histologically diagnosed uterine sarcomas. Method : Previously prepared histologic slides were retrieved and reviewed to confirm the diagnosis and to ascertain the histological type of the uterine sarcoma. Clinical data such as the age and the mode of presentation were extracted from the case notes; histology request forms and reports. Results:Eleven histological reports satisfied the criteria for the study which accounted for 0.5and 4of total malignancies and gynaecologic malignancies respectively in UPTH during the period under review. Malignant mixed mesodermal tumors was the most common (36.4).The highest frequency of the tumors occurred in the age group 50-59 years (45.5) and abnormal vaginal bleeding was the most common clinical presentation (36.4). Conclusion : Uterine Sarcomas are rare world wide; most common above the age of 50 years; with variable clinical presentations and associated with high morbidity and mortality rate
Subject(s)
Sarcoma/diagnosis , Sarcoma/pathology , Uterine NeoplasmsABSTRACT
Background: Maxillofacial sarcomas are rare constituting between 4-8% of all malignancies in the region. A few case reports of individual tumours are available while reviews of significant series is lacking. This report presents 80 cases of sarcoma collected over 23 years at a tertiary oral care centre in Kaduna, Nigeria. Method: Retrospective study of all maxillofacial sarcomas in northern Nigeria. Results: There were 406 maxillofacial malignancies of which 80 (20%) were sarcomas. Fourteen histopathologic types were found of which osteosarcoma (28%), chondrosarcoma (17%), rhabdomyosarcoma (12%) and fibrosarcoma (12%) were predominant. The male to female ratio was roughly equal (1.3:1). Patients with sarcoma were between 24 days and 90 years old (mean age 31±15 years) with most patients (26%) in the third decade of life. Cases presented with symptoms such as swelling (100%), pain (54%) and tissue ulceration (26%). Surgery was performed for 46% of cases treated while radiotherapy was used for 26%. Some cases refused hospital treatment because of poverty and ignorance while poor medical infrastructure limited treatment options in several cases regarded as advanced lesions. Conclusion: In Northern Nigeria, sarcomas account for 20% of all maxillofacial malignancies with the osteosarcoma as the predominant type. Most affected were people in the third decade of life. Surgery was the main modality used for treatment while some patients had no treatment due to self-discharge and late presentation. The need for improved medical awareness and upgrading of infrastructure was stressed