Carcinoid tumours in a tertiary hospital in northern Nigeria: morphological pattern and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Carcinoid tumours are uncommon neuroendocrine neoplasms that may be found anywhere in the body but are most commonly seen in the gastro-intestinal and respiratory tracts and usually follow an indolent course. However, some tumours particularly the larger ones may metastasize to liver or regional lymph nodes. This study described the histological types of carcinoid tumors seen in a tertiary institution in Northern Nigeria. METHODS: This is a retrospective study in which surgical biopsy specimens seen over a 10-year period were reviewed with respect to age, sex, site and histological type. RESULTS: Five cases consisting of 1 endoscopic, 1 wedge, 3 hemicolectomy specimens were studied. There was a slight female preponderance with a female to male ratio of 1.5:1. The peak age of occurrence was the 6th decade of life (mean age was 36.4 years). Two cases were located in the large colon and a case each in the stomach, lymph node, and tongue. Three cases show trabecular pattern, while 2 cases were mixed pattern, in all the cases there are neither mitosis nor necrosis. These features are in keeping with typical carcinoids. Two out of the five cases were metastases to the lymph node and the tongue. CONCLUSION: Carcinoid tumours are rare, slow-growing NETs that display a relatively indolent disease course. Carcinoid tumours are uncommon in our environment and the cases seen are of good prognostic type.

Lymphadenopathic Kaposi's sarcoma in an immunocompetent adult.

Kaposi's sarcomas (KS) are vascular lesions which usually originate from multiple sites in the mid-dermis extending to the dermis. The aetiology is unknown, but infection from human herpes virus type 8 has been suggested. Several reports of KS had come from Africa initially and from worldwide later due to the close association with HIV/AIDS. Prior to this however, KS was very frequent in Eastern Europe, Italy and the United States where it existed in an indolent form in the elderly men of Jewish ancestry. KS may also be due to iatrogenic immune suppression from chronic use of steroids, elevated degree of expression of numerous cytokines and angiogenic growth factors including TNF alpha, IL-6, bFGF, HIVtat protein and oncostatin M. Lymphadenopathic KS involves the lymph-nodes, viscera and the gastrointestinal tract and may run a disseminated and aggressive course. We are reporting one such case in an immunocompetent male.

Choriocarcinoma in northwestern Nigeria: a histopathological review.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Gestational choriocarcinoma is a malignant form of gestational trophoblastic disease with a highly aggressive biologic behavior and responds well to chemotherapy. The objective of this study is to analyse the various histological features of this neoplasm as seen in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching hospital, ( ABUTH ) Zaria, determine its incidence, and compare with other studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The bench registers were used to retrieve the request forms, slides, and tissue blocks. The slides were all stained with standard haematoxylin and Eosin. The histological criteria published by Gehrig and van Lee was used to diagnose the tumours and grading of the cases from grade I to III. RESULTS: Forty three cases were studied and these formed 4.9% of all products of conception and 37.7% of all gestational trophoblastic diseases. The peak age of incidence was in the third and fourth decades of life with vaginal bleeding as the leading mode of presentation. Extensive histopathological analysis and grading revealed haemorrhage, necrosis diamorphic appearance and pleomorphism as the most frequent features. CONCLUSION: Gestational choriocarcinoma is a common problem in Zaria, North- Western Nigeria with an incidence of 1 in 1039 deliveries. Haemorrhage, necrosis, diamorphic appearance and pleomorphism were the most frequent histological features. Health education and early detection are of paramount importance in reducing morbidity and mortality.

The cervical smear pattern in patients with chronic pelvic inflammatory disease.

BACKGROUND: Cancer of the cervix is the commonest malignancy of the genital tract in Nigeria. In an atmosphere of opportunistic screening due to lack of a national screening programme, studies are needed to determine patients at risk of premalignant lesions of the cervix. GOAL: To determine cervical smear pattern in patients with chronic pelvic inflammatory disease and investigate the potential of chronic pelvic inflammatory disease as a risk factor to cervical dysplasia. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, Nigeria. SUBJECTS: Three hundred and sixty-nine premenopausal women attending the gynaecologic and family planning clinics of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, Nigeria from January to December 2000. RESULTS: Of the 369 women that had cervical cytology by Pap smear, 163 (44%) had chronic pelvic inflammatory disease (cases) while 206 (56%) were non chronic PID patients (control). There was no statistical significance in the mean age between the two groups. The mean age at first coitus and marriage of all the women were 17.92.7 years and 18.5 3.4 years respectively. There were 52 dysplastic smears encountered, giving a prevalence rate of 140/1,000 or 14% for Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia. There were higher cases of dysplasia in the chronic PID group than in the control and this differences was statistically significant (p<0.05). Other risk factors to dysplasia identified include high parity (>4) and age of first coitus less than 20 years. Only 10% of all the women screened were aware of both cervical cancer and Pap smear. CONCLUSION: Women with chronic pelvic inflammatory disease are probably at higher risk of developing cervical dysplasia than women without chronic pelvic inflammatory disease. Cervical cancer screening programmes should be intensified in chronic pelvic inflammatory disease patients. However, further studies are needed in our setting to verify the association between pelvic inflammatory disease and cervical dysplasia.