Immunohistochemical Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) Expression Pattern in Gastric Adenocarcinomas in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The demonstration of HER2 in gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) tissues by immunohistochemistry assists in deciding whether targeted therapy would optimise the treatment of GA patients who are HER2 positive. However, this has not been extensively studied in our patients hence the need for this study. METHODS: Recipient tissue microarray blocks were constructed from donor archival formalin fixed paraffin embedded gastric tumour tissue from 80 patients seen over a period of 17 years in a retrospective descriptive study. Slides cut from these blocks were stained with antihuman HER2 antibody by immunohistochemistry and scored using the trastuzumab in gastric adenocarcinomas (ToGA) trial criteria. Data on age, gender, site of lesion and histological subtype of the gastric adenocarcinomas were also retrieved and reviewed. RESULTS: Eighty cases (52 males and 28 females; male to female ratio of 1.9:1), 55.65 ±13.50 years (modal age group 60-69 years), were studied. Most tumours (91.2%) involved the distal parts (pylorus, antrum and body) with a few (8.8%) involving the proximal part (cardia and fundus) of the stomach. HER2 was overexpressed in a total of 6 (7.5%) cases only. Two of seven (28.6%) proximal tumours showed HER2 positivity whereas only 4 of 73 (5.5%) of the distal tumours showed HER2 positivity. CONCLUSION: We had only a slightly lower HER2 overexpression rate than in studies from many other parts of the world. The observed overexpression was significantly higher in proximal than distally located tumours suggesting that distal tumours are less likely to respond to Trastuzumab than proximal tumours. The known association of distal gastric tumours with Helicobacter pylori infection probably provides for a possible difference in the molecular aetiopathogenesis of GAs by site of occurrence. The exact mechanisms for proximal gastric carcinogenesis remain to be more clearly elucidated. More studies, including clinical trials with larger sample sizes, are recommended to elucidate this differential expression of HER2 in gastric adenocarcinoma.

CONTEXTE ET OBJECTIF: La démonstration de la présence de HER2 dans les tissus d'adénocarcinome gastrique (AG) par immunohistochimie aide à décider si une thérapie ciblée optimiserait le traitement des patients atteints d'AG HER2 positif. Cependant, cela n'a pas été largement étudié chez nos patients, d'où la nécessité de cette étude. MÉTHODES: Des blocs de microarray de tissus destinataires ont été construits à partir de tissus tumoraux gastriques inclus en paraffine d'archives provenant de 80 patients vus sur une période de 17 ans, dans le cadre d'une étude descriptive rétrospective. Les lames découpées à partir de ces blocs ont été colorées avec un anticorps anti-HER2 humain par immunohistochimie et évaluées selon les critères de l'essai trastuzumab dans les adénocarcinomes gastriques (ToGA). Les données sur l'âge, le sexe, le site de la lésion et le sous-type histologique des adénocarcinomes gastriques ont également été récupérées et examinées. RÉSULTATS: Quatre-vingts cas (52 hommes et 28 femmes ; rapport hommes-femmes de 1,9:1), 55,65 ± 13,50 ans (groupe d'âge modal 60-69 ans), ont été étudiés. La plupart des tumeurs (91,2 %) ont touché les parties distales (pylore, antre et corps) avec quelques-unes (8,8 %) touchant la partie proximale (cardia et fundus) de l'estomac. HER2 a été surexprimé dans un total de 6 cas seulement (7,5 %). Deux des sept tumeurs proximales (28,6 %) ont montré une positivité HER2, tandis que seulement 4 des 73 tumeurs distales (5,5 %) ont montré une positivité HER2. CONCLUSION: Nous avons eu un taux de surexpression de HER2 légèrement inférieur à celui observé dans de nombreuses autres régions du monde. La surexpression observée était significativement plus élevée dans les tumeurs proximales que dans les tumeurs distales, suggérant que les tumeurs distales sont moins susceptibles de répondre au trastuzumab que les tumeurs proximales. L'association connue des tumeurs gastriques distales avec l'infection par Helicobacter pylori fournit probablement une différence potentielle dans l'étiopathogenèse moléculaire des AG par site d'occurrence. Les mécanismes exacts de la carcinogenèse gastrique proximale restent à élucider plus clairement. Davantage d'études, y compris des essais cliniques avec des tailles d'échantillons plus importantes, sont recommandées pour élucider cette expression différentielle de HER2 dans l'adénocarcinome gastrique. MOTS-CLÉS: Adénocarcinome gastrique, expression de HER2, Immunohistochimie, Thérapie ciblée.

Dermoscopic characteristics of cutaneous larva migrans in dark skin: a study from Banjul, The Gambia.

Cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) results from hookworm larvae infestation, mainly Ancylostoma braziliense or Ancylostoma caninum. It is common in Sub-Saharan Africa, often acquired through soil contact, especially in sandy beaches, manifesting as serpiginous, erythematous and intensely pruritic tracts within the epidermis, and presenting with diverse clinical appearances. Diagnosis is mostly clinical; however, dermoscopy can enhance diagnostic accuracy and distinction from mimics. The current body of literature is deficient in its representation of dermoscopic data for CLM in Black patients. This study explores dermoscopy in nine dark-skinned patients with 16 CLM lesions. Distinctive serpiginous structureless areas displaying a range of colours, peripheral scales surrounding brown areas and brown dots were predominant features, whereas vascular characteristics were less evident. This article highlights the presence of distinct reaction patterns, including brown dots, scales, and accentuated, often disrupted brown reticular lines in addition to the characteristic winding tracts in darker skin.

Spectrum of Oral and Maxillofacial Tissue Biopsies at the Foremost Tertiary Institution in The Gambia: A Retrospective Review.

Introduction: Sub-Saharan Africa has a heavy burden of oral diseases and cancers. Also, there is a dearth of published records of oral pathology services in The Gambia. Therefore, this review aimed to determine the prevalence of biopsied oral and maxillofacial lesions in order to ascertain the uptake of oral histopathology services at the foremost tertiary institution in The Gambia. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study performed at the Pathology Department of Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital. Reports of all oral and maxillofacial biopsies submitted for the period 2012 to 2021 were reviewed and data were extracted. Descriptive analysis was done using SPSS software, version 26. Results: Total number of biopsy reports was 158 representing 0.02% over the study period. The mean age of patients was 34.3 ± 19.7 years, the 3rd decade was the peak age of presentation and male-to-female ratio was 1:1.6. Majority (65/41.1%) of the cases were benign neoplastic lesions, and the mandible was the most (21/13.3%) common site of biopsy. Reactive lesions were the predominant (34/21.5%) group and squamous cell carcinoma had the highest (24/15.3%) number of lesions while odontogenic tumours constituted six cases only (3.8%). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed low uptake of oral histopathology services while biopsied oral and maxillofacial lesions were prevalent in female patients in the third decade of life. Also, the mandible was the most affected site whereas benign neoplastic diagnoses were most common. However, this study recorded a higher proportion of malignancies than some previous studies.

Immunohistochemical Profiling of HER-2/neu, Steroid Hormone Receptors and KI-67 Biomarkers in A Cohort of Nigerian Women with Breast Cancer.

Background: Progressive improvement in the accuracy of profiling of hormone receptors in breast cancer provides the basis for targeted endocrine therapy, a major pillar of multimodal breast cancer treatment. However, the disparity in findings from comparatively smaller sample-sized studies in West Africa has led to somewhat conflicting conclusions and recommendations. Objectives: This study investigates the immunohistochemical (IHC) profile of breast cancer specimens for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal receptor-2 (HER2)/neu, and Ki-67 in a tertiary hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria over 12 years. Materials and Methods: We reviewed 998 IHC reports, documented clinicopathologic parameters, computed patterns of biomarkers, and stratified them based on the American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists recommendations. Descriptive analysis including frequency, mean, and median were generated from the data extracted. Results: Out of the 998 cases, 975 (97.7%) were females and 23 (2.3%) were males. The mean age was 48.84 ± 11.99 years. Open biopsies were the most common types of specimens (320, 41.6%): lumpectomy and incisional biopsy of ulcerated, fungating or unresectable tumours. In those cases, 246 (32.0%) were samples of breast-conserving or ablative surgical extirpation (mastectomy/wide local excision/quadrantectomy), and 203 (26.4%) were obtained by core needle biopsies. Invasive ductal carcinoma was the most common histopathological type (673, 94.5%). The majority of graded tumours were intermediate grade (444, 53.5%). Four hundred and sixty-nine (48.4%) were ER positive, 414 (42.8%) were PR positive, and 180 (19.4%) were HER2/neu positive. Three hundred and thirty-four (34.0%) were triple-negative. Eighty-nine cases had Ki-67 staining done, and of these 61 (68.5%) had positive nuclear staining. Conclusion: Steroid hormone receptors and HER-2/neu proportions in our cohort are likely to be more representative than the widely varied figures hitherto reported in the sub-region. We advocate routine IHC analysis of breast cancer samples as a guide to personalized endocrine therapy.

Economic costs of terminal care for selected non-communicable diseases from a healthcare perspective: a review of mortality records from a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: WHO revealed that morbidity and mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are on the increase and NCDs accounted for approximately 29% of all deaths in Nigeria in 2016. This study was conducted to estimate the economic cost of selected NCDs-lung cancer, liver cancer and liver cirrhosis. These diseases are known to be associated with key modifiable health risk behaviours (smoking and alcohol use), which are prevalent in Nigeria and often commence during the adolescent years. METHODS: Data were obtained between 2016 and 2017, from mortality records of patients managed for the selected diseases in the University College Hospital, a major referral centre in Nigeria. Information on costs of treatment, clinic visits, admission and transportation was obtained. Average costs of terminal in-patient care and transportation costs (in 2020 prices) were computed per patient. Costs were converted to the US dollar equivalent using the current official rate of US$1: ₦360.50. RESULTS: Twenty-two (out of 90 cases recorded) could be retrieved and all the patients had been diagnosed in the terminal stages of the disease. The average direct costs were ₦510 152.62 (US$1415.13) for an average of 49.2 days of terminal care for lung cancer; ₦308 950.27 (US$857.00) and ₦238 121.83 (US$660.53) for an average of 16.6 and 21.7 days of terminal care for patients managed for liver cancer and liver cirrhosis, respectively. CONCLUSION: The economic costs of each of the diseases were very high. Findings emphasise the need for aggressive efforts to promote primary prevention, improve early diagnosis and provide affordable treatment in view of the fact that the monthly minimum wage is less than US$85.00 and treatment costs are borne out-of-pocket by the generality of the population in Nigeria.

Clinicopathologic Features of Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma and Treatment Outcomes in Ibadan, Nigeria: A 10-year Review.

The objectives of this study were to describe the clinicopathologic features and treatment outcomes of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma in a resource-constrained setting. All cases of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma seen over a 10-year period (July 2006 to June 2016) at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria were reviewed. Data were extracted from the database of the pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit of the hospital and analyzed. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Fifty children were seen comprising 30 men and 20 women with bimodal ages of 4 and 5 years. Median duration of illness was 16 weeks and the most common primary tumor site was the head-and-neck region in 27 (54%) of cases. The histologic subtypes were embryonal in 30 (60%), alveolar in 9 (18%), and not specified in 11 (22%). The Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study group TNM Pretreatment stages were stage I in 15 (30%), stage III in 17 (34%), and stage IV in 18 (36%). Treatment included chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy and abandoned in 20 (40%) cases. Median survival was 45 weeks (95% confidence interval: 16.4-73.6) and 5 (10%) patients were alive and disease free, 4 years or more after diagnosis. Outcome of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma is poor and early diagnosis and improved access to treatment are recommended.

Paediatric soft tissue sarcomas in a resource constraint setting: Grade and stage at presentation and at oncologic intervention are usually of poor prognostic characteristics.

AIM: To describe the pattern of paediatric Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) and Non-Rhabdomyosarcomas (NRMS) with emphasis on the indices that affect survival outcomes. METHODS: We reviewed all patients with histologically confirmed RMS and NRMS in the Departments of Pathology and Paediatrics, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria; in children aged 0-14 years. The study period was January 1991 to December 2016. Information obtained included age, gender, morphology and site of the tumours. The tumour grade and pathologic/clinical staging of all patients were also obtained and verified by the clinical records. Tumour grading was carried out using the Fédération Nationale des Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer (FNCLCC) Sarcoma group grading system and staging was done using TNM. Follow up, survival information and final outcome were retrieved. RESULTS: The 104 patients included in the study had almost equal male-to-female ratio, age ranged between 5 months and 14 years (median 8.2 years). Rhabdomyosarcoma had mean age of 5.6 (±3.8) years while that of NRMS was 9.2(±4.1) years. Overall, the modal age group was 5-9 years. Rhabdomyosarcoma was the commonest histological type (76%), undifferentiated sarcomas (6.7%), fibrosarcoma (3.8%) and 2.9% each for synovial sarcoma and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. The common primary sites were the head and neck (including the orbit) 49 (47.1%), and the abdominopelvic 26 (25%) regions. Majority (89%) had histologic grade 3 at presentation. Seventy per cent and 64% of patients with RMS and NRMS, respectively, had high stage tumour at presentation. Median survival for all patients with Rhabdomyosarcoma was 45 weeks with a 1-year survival of 43% and 2-year survival of 25%. Non-RMS (Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans and Solitary fibrous tumours) had survival of over 4 year's duration. CONCLUSION: Majority of our patients presented at a late stage with histologic high grade which confers poor prognosis and reduced chances for good overall survival outcome.

Impact of axillary node-positivity and surgical resection margins on survival of women treated for breast cancer in Ibadan, Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Oncologic surgical extirpation, the mainstay of loco-regional disease control in breast cancer, is aimed at achieving negative margins and lymph node clearance. Even though axillary lymph nodal metastasis is a critical index of prognostication, establishing the impact of lymph node ratio (LNR) and adequate surgical margins on disease-specific survivorship would be key to achieving longer survival. This study examines the prognostic role of pN (lymph nodes positive for malignancy), LNR and resection margin on breast cancer survival in a tertiary hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study of 225 patients with breast carcinoma, documented clinico-pathologic parameters and 5-year follow up outcomes - distant metastasis and survival. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the interaction of resection margin and proportion of metastatic lymph nodes with patients' survival. The receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted to determine the proportion of metastatic lymph nodes which predicted survival. The survival analysis was done using Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Sixty (26.7%) patients of the patients had positive resection margins, with the most common immuno-histochemical type being Lumina A. 110 (49%) patients had more than 10 axillary lymph nodes harvested. The mean age was 48.6 ± 11.8 years. Tumour size (p = 0.018), histological type (p = 0.015), grade (p = 0.006), resection margin (p = 0.023), number of harvested nodes (p < 0.01), number of metastatic nodes (p < 0.001) and loco-regional recurrence (p < 0.01) are associated with survival. The overall 5-year survival was 65.3%. CONCLUSION: Unfavourable survival outcomes following breast cancer treatment is multifactorial, including the challenges faced in the multimodal treatment protocol received by our patients.

Correction to: Pattern and Significance of Tumour Budding in Colorectal Carcinomas Using ITBCC Guidelines: a Low Resource Setting Practice Observation.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. In Table 2, the number 36 under "N" should be 96 and "Tumour size in cm (range)" should read "Tumour size in cm."

Pattern and Significance of Tumour Budding in Colorectal Carcinomas Using ITBCC Guidelines: a Low Resource Setting Practice Observation.

PURPOSE: To determine the pattern and significance of tumour budding among colorectal carcinoma (CRC) Nigerian patients using the 2016 International Tumour Budding Consensus Conference (ITBCC) guidelines. METHODS: H&E-stained slides of resected CRC at the University College Hospital and a private laboratory, both in Ibadan, Nigeria, from January 2008 to December 2017 were reviewed. Patient age, gender, tumour size and location were obtained from the surgical pathology records. Tumours were graded and staged according to the 2010 WHO and the 2017 UICC protocols, respectively. Tumour budding was determined at × 20 objective lens magnification with a 20-mm eyepiece field number diameter. Descriptive, Mann-Whitney U and chi-square test statistics were applied using SPSS 20; p < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Ninety-six cases were included in this study. Fifty-one (53.1%) showed tumour budding. Tumour bud count was low (0-4) in 66 (68.8%), intermediate (5-9) in 12 (12.5%) and high (≥ 10) in 18 (18.8%) tumours. Four tumours had pT1 stage, 35 pT2, 37 pT3 and 20 pT4. Forty-three (44.8%) tumours were lymph node-positive, and 10 (10.4%) had metastasis. Patients' age and tumour size distribution were similar in the tumour budding and non-budding groups (52.4 ± 17.1/58.5 ± 13.9 years and 6.6 ± 2.9/6.6 ± 2.8 cm, respectively). There was significant association between tumour budding and tumour grade (p < 0.008), pT stage (p < 0.000), lymphovascular permeation (p < 0.000), perineural invasion (p < 0.003) and nodal status (p < 0.034), but not with gender (p = 0.588), metastasis (p = 0.327) and TNM group-stage (p = 0.062). CONCLUSION: Tumour budding frequency is high among our CRC patients and is associated with poorer prognostic factors.

Histopathology of Head and Neck Lymphomas in Ibadan.

Background: Lymphomas are a heterogeneous group of tumors of lymphoid tissue in which there is a malignant proliferation of cells of the lymphatic system. They are the most frequent nonepithelial malignancy in the head and neck region. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the histological pattern of the disease in the head and neck region and trends in presentation seen in our center. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study of cases of head and neck lymphoma (HNL) seen in the Pathology Department of the University College Hospital Ibadan, Nigeria over a period of 37 years (1981-2017). Information extracted from the records included the sociodemographics of the patients, tumor location, and histological type among others. Data were analyzed and results were presented as frequencies and percentages. Results: There were a total of 373 cases of histologically and/or cytologically diagnosed HNL seen during the study period (an average of 10 cases per year). The mean age of patients was 33.5 ± 21.9 years with male:female ratio of 1.6:1. Most HNL were non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL), accounting for 91% of cases. Nodal disease was seen in 39% of cases. The bone (prominently, the jaws) predominated (25%) in extranodal lesions. Burkitt's lymphoma was the most common specific subtype of NHL, occurring in 25.5% of cases. Conclusion: There has been an apparent upward trend in the prevalence of HNL over the past four decades, although other parameters such as age and sex predilection appear unaffected. Factors responsible for this trend need to be interrogated and ascertained.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology in Head and Neck Lesions from a Tertiary Health Facility in Southwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is widely employed as an initial investigative tool in the diagnosis of various lesions in the body, however, it is limited in the provision of precise architectural detail of lesions. This is said to be responsible for the wide variation in the documented usefulness and accuracy relative to histopathology. This study aimed to correlate cytopathological and histopathological examination (HPE) of head and neck lesions, and assess the usefulness and accuracy of FNAC in our center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study that utilized historical data obtained from case notes and histopathology records of 91 patients that had both FNAC and HPE done for head and neck lesions in our center during the study. The FNAC results were correlated with that of the histopathological diagnosis to obtain the accuracy of the FNAC diagnosis. Diagnostic validity of FNAC in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value were also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 91 FNAC-HPE sample pairs were included. The Sensitivity and specificity for benign lesion was 95.4% and 42.3%, respectively, while for sensitivity and specificity for malignant lesion was 31.8% and 96.9%, respectively. The overall Sensitivity and specificity for cytology was 96.8% and 30.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: FNAC appears to be a useful tool in the initial assessment of head and neck lesions in our center, however, the high rate of missed diagnosis especially as concerned malignancies has dire negative treatment implications. There is need to develop capacity for improved skill in making cytopathologic diagnoses among anatomical pathologists involved in the use of FNAC as diagnostic and screening tool.

Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours (GIST): A Review of Cases from Nigeria.

PURPOSE: Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) are rare and studies on GIST in Nigeria are extremely uncommon. This study aims to achieve a comprehensive systematic review of the cases of this tumour in Nigerians. METHODS: A systematic search of all available literature on GIST published from Nigeria between January 2000 and December 2018 was done and reviewed. Simple descriptive data on all the cases are presented. RESULTS: The search yielded 15 publications but 13 publications with a total of 67 patients were analysed. The other two studies centred on imatinib therapy and overall survival, and molecular characteristics respectively and were therefore reviewed independently. Age at diagnosis ranged from 9 to 75 years, with mean age being in the 50s and 60s across most studies. There is no gender disparity. Anatomical location of primary tumours showed gastric location as the most frequent (61%) followed by large intestine accounting for 15%, the small intestine (9%) and other locations (15%). Tumour size ranged from 5-39.5 cm. Over 85% of patients had tumour size greater than 10 cm at presentation, hence fell into intermediate or high-risk group irrespective of location of tumour. The overall survival of a cohort of 27 patients that had imatinib therapy was 69.5% after 4 years of follow-up. KIT exon 11 mutations were the only mutations detected from a small cohort of 12 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Characteristics of GIST in Nigerians are fairly similar to other parts of the world. However, most of our patients present with large masses which are of poor prognostic characteristics.

Clinically Diagnosed Postoperative Venous Thromboembolism in a Neurosurgery Practice in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major surgical complication, fraught with high case fatality rate, to which neurosurgical patients are particularly prone. There is dearth of data on this problem in the neurosurgical literature from sub-Saharan Africa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 6-year prospective descriptive study of postoperative VTE in a neurosurgeon's clinical practice in Nigeria is hereby presented. The clinical case of a fatal, postmortem-confirmed post craniotomy VTE also is annotated. RESULTS: There were 10 cases of clinically diagnosed neurosurgical postoperative VTE, representing 2.4% of the surgical patients population. The cases were diagnosed from clinical impressions supplemented with laboratory investigations like the Doppler ultrasonography with B-mode imaging of the deep veins of the lower extremities, and chest computed tomographic angiography. Six of these 10 cases died, a case fatality rate of 60%. Meningiomas were the intracranial tumours operated on in 60% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative venous thromboembolism has a very high case fatality rate among these neurosurgical patients. There is need for continuing surveillance of this problem, as well as a heightened vigilance to prevent and treat it in our neurosurgical patient populations.

MESENCHYMAL TUMOURS OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT: THE IMPORTANCE AND USE OF IMMUNHISTOCHEMISTRY IN CHARACTERIZING SPECIFIC TUMOUR ENTITIES.

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal Gastrointestinal (GI) tumours are heterogenous group of tumours. Prior to 2005, immunohistochemistry (IHC) was not used in diagnostic pathology to characterize these tumours at our centre. OBJECTIVES: To subclassify mesenchymal tumours in the GI tract and related locations into Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) and non-GIST tumours using specific IHC antibody markers. METHODS: Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded tumour tissue over the period 1991- 2004 were retrieved, from the files and records of the Department of Pathology, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Haematoxylin and Eosin slides of such cases were reviewed. The IHC expressions of c-Kit, CD 34, α-smooth muscle actin, desmin and S-100 were evaluated in these tumours. RESULTS: Based on morphology and IHC staining pattern, 24 of the 46 cases were identified as GIST by c-kit positivity. Nine of the cases were smooth muscle tumours (4- leiomyoma and 5- leiomyosarcoma), 8 cases of undifferentiated sarcomas, 4 cases of desmoid and one case of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour. For GISTs: The male:female ratio is 1.2. The age range of the patients was 11-75 years with a mean age of 55.1 years.Tumour size ranged from 7-32 cm with an average of 19.8cm and average mitotic count of 20 per 50 high power field. The location of the GIST tumours were as follow- stomach- 9 cases (37.5% of the 24 GIST cases), colon and rectum -6 (25%), Abdominal cavity (omentum/ mesentery)- 6 (25%), retroperitoneum-2(8.3%), small intestine-1 (4.2%). CONCLUSION: The use of IHC in this study has helped to segregate and distinguish GI mesenchymal tumours into different sub-types, majority being Gastrointestinal stromal tumours.

Intrarenal teratoma: report of two cases seen in a 31-year retrospective study at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.

UNLABELLED: Germ cell neoplasms which have the potentials of differentiating along somatic cell lines are regarded as teratomas. They are mature teratomas when tissues are fully differentiated and immature teratomas when primitive or immature tissue elements are present. In this retrospective study, we analyzed all the renal biopsies submitted to the Department of Pathology of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, South-West Nigeria over a thirty one year period (1981-2011). Over the period, a total of 119,986 specimens were received for histological assessment and only 1,027 (0.86%) represented kidney specimens which included all the trucut biopsies and nephrectomies. Two (0.19%) of the nephrectomy specimens from a one-year and a five-month old children were diagnosed as mature and immature cystic teratoma respectively. The sample from the one-year-old child was heavy (810 g), cystic and measured 17 x 10 x 10 cm. On microscopy, the tissues were predominantly mature neural tissue, mature skeletal muscle, cartilage and foci of normal kidney tissue while the sample from the five month old child was almost double the weight of the former (1600 g) and measured 18 x 14 x 9 cm. Cut sections revealed cystic and solid areas comprising bone, glial tissue, primitive neuroectodermal tissue, choroid plexus, immature cartilage, skeletal muscle, fat, intestinal tissue, breast structures,odontogenic and squamous epithelial tissues on microscopy. CONCLUSION: Cystic teratoma is a rare occurrence in kidneys.

A fifteen-year review of lymphomas in a Nigerian tertiary healthcare centre.

In Africa, epidemiological data on the effect of the HIV epidemic on the occurrence of lymphomas are scanty. The 1990s witnessed the alarming rates of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria increased from 1.8% in 1991 to 4.4% in 2005. The aim of this study was to determine whether there have been any changes in the frequency and pattern of lymphomas in view of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country. This is a retrospective study of all lymphoma cases diagnosed during 1991-2005. The prevalence of lymphomas declined from 1.4% to 0.7% of surgical biopsies during 1991-2005. There was a decline in the proportion of high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Burkitt's lymphoma from 79.1% and 45.8% respectively to 21.1% and 13.6% respectively. There is a suggestion that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country may not have influenced the pattern of occurrence of both major histomorphological types of lymphoma in Ibadan.

Intraepithelial and invasive squamous neoplasms of the conjunctiva in Ibadan, Nigeria: a clinicopathological study of 46 cases.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To retrospectively evaluate the clinicopathological features, treatment modalities and factors affecting prognosis in patients with both conjunctival intraepithelial and invasive squamous neoplasms. METHOD: Review and analysis of clinical and pathological records of all cases histologically diagnosed in the Department of Pathology, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria between January 1990 and December 2004. RESULTS: There were a total of 46 cases in 45 patients (eight intraepithelial carcinomas, 37 invasive squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and a single case of mucoepidermoid carcinoma in a 71-year-old man). The intraepithelial neoplasms occurred in patients aged between 20 and 90 years. Seven of these patients had actinic changes on histology. For invasive SCC, patients' ages ranged from 18 to 84 years with a mean age of 53 years. Male to female ratio was 1:1. The majority presented with an orbital mass and loss of vision. Twenty-two (60%) of the patients with invasive SCC had enucleation or exenteration as the primary modality of treatment with or without radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Altogether for intraepithelial and invasive squamous neoplasms, the duration of presenting complaints ranged from 1 month to 5 years with an average of 2 years. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and smoking were not significantly associated with these cases but a significant number had outdoor occupation. Low socioeconomic status and inability to afford treatment was common among our patients. CONCLUSION: Patients with invasive SCC in Nigeria present late and have significant delay before having any form of treatment. This contributes to the poor outcome. Human papilloma virus (HPV) and actinic aetiology are possible strong causative agents in Nigerians.

Cavernous lymphangioma of the breast.

BACKGROUND: Cavernous lymphangioma is a rare lesion in the breast of adults. Only a few cases have been documented in literature. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 38-year-old woman who presented with a palpable breast lump, which measured 5 x 4 cm. A local excision of the lump was performed and a diagnosis of cavernous lymphangioma was made. The patient is alive and well, after five years of follow-up, with no complaints or recurrence. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case to be documented in a black African woman. Complete surgical excision seems to be the best modality of treatment of this lesion.

Dermoid cyst of the urinary bladder as a differential diagnosis of bladder calculus: a case report.

Dermoid cysts are extremely rare in the urinary bladder and can pose a diagnostic dilemma to both the Urologist and the Histopathologist. Only a few cases were found documented and cited in PubMed. We present a case of dermoid cyst in the urinary bladder presenting as a bladder stone with a brief review of the literature.