ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cancer is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide in children under 15 years of age, with the incidence and mortality rate varying from 40 to 155 per million children. AIM: To describe the pattern of childhood cancer in Ibadan, Nigeria. OBJECTIVE: To compare the findings of this study with those of previous studies in Ibadan and internationally. METHODS: A retrospective review of histologically and cytologically confirmed cases of cancer in children aged <15 years diagnosed at University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan between January 1991 and December 2010 was undertaken. The cases were categorised using the International Classification of Childhood Cancer, third edition (ICCC-3). RESULTS: There were 625 cases comprising 360 (57·6%) males with a modal age of 3 years. The most common neoplasms were lymphomas (140, 22·4%), of which 90% were non-Hodgkin lymphomas, with Burkitt lymphoma constituting the majority of cases (73). Other common neoplasms were retinoblastomas (21%), soft tissue sarcomas (14·9%), leukaemias (10·2%) and CNS tumours (6·9%). Lymphomas, bone tumours, malignant hepatic tumours and other malignant epithelial neoplasms had the highest mean and modal ages, while retinoblastomas, neuroblastomas, germ cell tumours and renal tumours had the lowest mean and modal ages. During 1960-72 there were 1326 cases and during 1973-90 there were 1881 cases and the proportion of lymphomas was 58·9% and 45·4%, respectively. The present study demonstrated a marked decline in the number of cases and proportion of lymphomas (22·4%), particularly Burkitt lymphomas. CONCLUSION: During the last 20 years, there has been a decline in the number of cases of childhood cancer seen at UCH, Ibadan. This may be due to the establishment of additional specialist centres in the sub-region. Owing to a persistent decline in the frequency of Burkitt lymphoma, retinoblastoma is now the most common individual childhood cancer seen at Ibadan.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms/epidemiology , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Hospitals, University , Humans , Incidence , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Neoplasms/pathology , Nigeria/epidemiology , Prevalence , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Biliary tract carcinomas are uncommon but highly fatal malignancies. Most patients in our environment are diagnosed late and are not candidates for curative resection. OBJECTIVE: To determine the pattern and risk factors of biliary tract carcinoma in Ibadan. METHODOLOGY: This was a retrospective study of histologically confirmed cases of biliary tract carcinoma diagnosed at the University College Hospital, Ibadan between January 1971 and December 20 10. Data was obtained from the records of the Ibadan Cancer Registry, surgical day books and post-mortem records of the Department of Pathology. Histological classification based on the 2010 'WHO classification for tumours of the intrahepatic bile duct, gallbladder and extrahepatic bile duct' was done. RESULTS: There were 37 cases of biliary tract carcinoma accounting for 0.18% of cancers seen during the period of study. These comprised of 26 (70.3%) females and 11 (29.7%) males. 20 females and 4 males had gallbladder carcinoma, while 6 females and 7 males had cholangiocarcinoma (P = 0.02). The age range was from 37 years to 75 years (mean = 52.5 ± 9.7 years). The peak occurrences of gallbladder carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma were in the fifth and sixth decades of life respectively. The identified risk factors included female gender (83%), gallstones (33%), and dysplasia (42%). CONCLUSION: The findings in this study agree with what has been described in the English literature in respect of gender distribution, histological types and some associated risk factors as well as in the fact of its being rare.
Subject(s)
Bile Duct Neoplasms , Cholangiocarcinoma , Gallbladder Neoplasms , Adult , Aged , Bile Duct Neoplasms/epidemiology , Bile Duct Neoplasms/pathology , Cholangiocarcinoma/epidemiology , Cholangiocarcinoma/pathology , Female , Gallbladder Neoplasms/epidemiology , Gallbladder Neoplasms/pathology , Gallstones/epidemiology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nigeria/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Leukaemias are haematological malignancies characterized by unregulated clonal proliferation of haematopoietic cells. OBJECTIVE: To determine the pattern of childhood leukaemia in Ibadan. METHODOLOGY: This was a retrospective study of leukaemia cases diagnosed at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan between January 1991 and December 2010 in children less than 15 years of age. Data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. RESULTS: There were 64 cases of childhood leukaemia, accounting for 10.2% of childhood cancers seen during this study period. The male to female ratio was 2:1 and modal age group was between 10 and 14 years. Thirty (46.9%) cases were acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), 22 (34.4%) were acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) and 12 (18.8%) were unspecified acute leukaemias. There was no case of chronic myeloid or lymphocytic leukaemia. CONCLUSION: There has been a relative increase in the frequency of leukaemia cases at UCH, Ibadan, which may be largely explained by increased awareness and referrals. There is a need for further collaborative multicentre studies of childhood leukaemias in Nigeria and other developing countries and focused research on childhood leukaemias in order to unravel the aetiology.
