Malignant Tumours of the Female Genital Tract: A 10-Year Histopathological Review at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital(2002-2011)

Malignant Tumours of the Female Genital Tract: A 10-Year Histopathological Review at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (2002-2011)

Abstract

Background: Morbidity data on female genital tract malignancies are limited in Ghana. The aim of this study was to establish the anatomical distribution and the histopathological features of female genital tract malignancies (FGTMs) in a tertiary hospital in Ghana.

Material and methods: A comprehensive review of the all histologically confirmed FGTMs from January 2002 to December 2011 was conducted to assess their clinicopathological features.

Results: There were 1,536 cases of FGTMs. The anatomic distributions were: uterine cervix 1086 (70.7%), corpus uteri 356 (23.2%), vagina 58 (3.8%) and vulva 36 (2.3%). The mean ages of women diagnosed with these cancers were: corpus uteri (59.5 years; SD = 14.2), uterine cervix (57.7 years; SD = 13.8), vulva (56.3 years; SD = 13.4) and vagina (52.5 years; SD = 18.1). The proportions of postmenopausal women were: corpus uteri (76.8%), uterine cervix (65%), vulva (55.6%) and vagina (50.0%). Women with corpus uteri and uterine cervix malignancies presented commonly with bleeding per vaginam while those with vulva and vagina malignancies presented mostly with ulcers and masses. The common histological subtypes were; cervix: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (69.2%), adenocarcinoma (18.1%) and MMMT (3.8%) (2.3%); Corpus uteri: adenocarcinoma (61.8%), malignant mixed mullerian tumours (MMMT) (15.4%) and choriocarcinoma (8.4%); Vagina: SCC (62.1%), adenocarcinoma (22.4%) and MMMT (5.2%); Vulva were: SCC (69.4%), adenosquamous (8.25) and stroma (5.6%).

Conclusion: The study found that FGTMs were commoner in relatively older women (mean age 57.9 years), majority being postmenopausal (66.4%). The predominant type of FGTM was cancer of the uterine cervix with bleeding per vaginam as the common clinical presentation.