Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma is the commonest head and neck malignancy which accounts for approximately 20% of the cancer burden in Asian countries. Frequencies and incidence rates of site specific head and neck squamous cell carcinoma have been reported regularly in different studies from various parts of the country

Methods: It was a descriptive study including 84 biopsy proven cases of squamous cell carcinoma from head and neck region reported to ENT unit-1 Allied Hospital Faisalabad by Pathology lab during January 2014 and December 2015. Data was acquired from hospital and pathology lab and analysed using SPSS version 18. Inclusion Criteria: Primary cases, mucosal disease. Exclusion criteria: congenital tumors, children, mentally retarded

Objective: The objective of the study was to identify the sites of cancer in head and neck along with their risk factors so that community education may be performed for better prevention of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Results: Mean age of the patients was 53.71 +/- 14.3 [median: 55] years. Mean age of females was 51 +/- 13.28 [median: 50] years. Mean age of male patients was 56 +/- 15.1 [median: 55] years. 53% of patients belonged to rural areas [n=53]. 37% [n=31] of patients came from urban areas. The commonest risk factor was smoking. The commonest site was hypo-pharynx

Conclusions: head and neck squamous cell carcinoma has a peak age incidence in 5th decade. Males and females are equally affected. Smoking is the commonest risk factor in Faisalabad. Most of the patients have moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. Hypo-pharynx is the commonest site involved

Nucleolar organizer reglons in the assessment of meoplastic and non-neoplastic thyroid nodules

Forty seven cases of thyroidectomy specimens were selected for this study including 6 cases of anaplastic carcinoma, 9 cases of papillary carcinoma, 6 cases of follicular carcinoma, 8 cases of follicular adenoma and 18 cases of adenomatous goiter. Paraffin section from each case are stained by the one step silver colloid reaction to demonstrate the argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region associated proteins. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma had mean AgNOR count per cell distinctly and significantly higher than other categories. Mean AgNOR counts of papillary carcinoma, follicular adenoma, follicular carcinoma and adenomatous goiter showed considerable overlap. It is concluded that AgNOR counting has limited value in the differentiation between neoplastic and non-neoplastic thyroid nodules

Risk factors in bladder cancer of Iraqi patients

A total of 135 bladder cancer patients diagnosed during eight monthes at the Medical City Hospital, were studied to determine the pathological subtypes, and the possible risk factors. Squamous cell carcinoma formed 41%, transitional cell carcinoma 47%, and adenocarcinoma formed 9%. Bilharzial ova were detected in tissue section of 32% of the cases [43 patients]. The histological analysis of bladder cancer associated with bilhariasis showed significantly different pattern i.e. squamous cell carcinoma forms 72%, papillary transitional cell carcinoma 2.8% non papillary transitional cell 9.3%, and adenocarcinoma forms 16.3%.Regarding the geographical distribution of various histological types; the squamous cell carcinoma predominated in patients coming from the middle and south of the country [44% and 45% respectively], while being rare in the north [8.3%]. This distribution is similar to endemicity pattern of bilhariziasis in Iraqi. The occupational hazard detected was peasantry. Smoking was significantly more common in bladder cancer not associated with bilhariziasis, as well as in bladder patients with papillary transitional cell carcinoma. Past history of recurrent urinary tract infection was common in bladder cancer associated with schistosmiasis [69%], while those associated with past history of urolithiasis were observed in only 29%