Cervical cancer and cytomegalovirus

Paraffin embedded sections from 34 cases of cervical cancer in Uganda were examined for the presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) using immunohistochemistry. CMV was detected in five of the 34 cases. In all cases; the reactivity was confined to the cervical epithelial tissue. These results provide further evidence for an association between CMV and cervical cancer and show that CMV may be readily detected in archival materials. It also suggests that cervical cancer may be associated with immune deficiency

Classification and grading of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix

Two hundred and twenty three cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix were classified according to their resemblance to cells in any of the layers in the ectocervix and a grade of low and high malignancy was also given to each case. Forty cases were classified as basal; 59 as prickle; 115 as intermediate and one as superficial cell types. Ninety cases were high grade (seven basal; 14 prickle; 63 intermediate and six superficial) and 133 were low grades (33 basal; 45 prickle; 52 intermediate; three superficial). This study shows that the intermediate cell type is the commonest and are usually high grade tumours. The findings also support the idea that squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix may arise from any of the normal layers in ectocervix and suggests that squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix is not a single disease entity; but heterogenous group of tumours like the non-Hodgkin's B cell or T cell lymphomas. Further study is needed to correlate the cyokeratin subtypes and clinical features of each histological type

The distribution of non-Burkitt; non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in Uganda in relation to malarial endemicity

Biopsies of malignant lymphomas collected from all districts of Uganda; filed in the Kampala Cancer Registry for the 8-year period 1966-1973; were reviewed. This review confirmed a relatively low frequency of follicle-centre-cell lymphomas with a follicular growth pattern and the geographical co-distribution between malaria and Burkitt's lymphoma (BL). It also showed a similar; though less marked; association between non-Burkitt; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NBNHL) and malarial endemicity; and a correlation in the regional incidence between BL and NBNHL. In both comparisons; these associations were strong for high-grade lymphomas and weak for low-grade neoplasms. BL and other NHL may therefore share; to a varying degree; some common pathogenesis. The excess in frequency of NBNHL of high-grade malignancy in malarial endemic areas appears to be in contrast to Western countries where most non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are of low-grade malignancy