RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Ovarian cancer in Black women is common in many West African countries but is relatively rare in North America. Black women have worse survival outcomes when compared to White women. Ovarian cancer histotype, diagnosis, and age at presentation are known prognostic factors for outcome. We sought to conduct a preliminary comparative assessment of these factors across the African diaspora. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer (all histologies) between June 2016-December 2019 in Departments of Pathology at 25 participating sites in Nigeria were identified. Comparative population-based data, inclusive of Caribbean-born Blacks (CBB) and US-born Blacks (USB), were additionally captured from the International Agency for Research on Cancer and Florida Cancer Data Systems. Histology, country of birth, and age at diagnosis data were collected and evaluated across the three subgroups: USB, CBB and Nigerians. Statistical analyses were done using chi-square and student's t-test with significance set at p<0.05. RESULTS: Nigerians had the highest proportion of germ cell tumor (GCT, 11.5%) and sex-cord stromal (SCST, 16.2%) ovarian cancers relative to CBB and USB (p=0.001). CBB (79.4%) and USB (77.3%) women were diagnosed with a larger proportion of serous ovarian cancer than Nigerians (60.4%) (p<0.0001). Nigerians were diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancers at the youngest age (51.7± 12.8 years) relative to USB (58.9 ± 15.0) and CBB (59.0± 13.0,p<0.001). Black women [CBB (25.2 ± 15.0), Nigerians (29.5 ± 15.1), and USB (33.9 ± 17.9)] were diagnosed with GCT younger than White women (35.4 ± 20.5, p=0.011). Black women [Nigerians (47.5 ± 15.9), USB (50.9 ± 18.3) and CBB (50.9 ± 18.3)] were also diagnosed with SCST younger than White women (55.6 ± 16.5, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: There is significant variation in age of diagnosis and distribution of ovarian cancer histotype/diagnosis across the African diaspora. The etiology of these findings requires further investigation.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Begging and destitution constitute serious health and social problems in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the trainability of beggars and the destitute in Abakaliki Nigeria in order to provide scientific evidence required for the development of a policy on their health, vocational rehabilitation and social reintegration. METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey of 50 purposively selected beggars and destitute persons identified from motor parks, church cathedrals, market places etc. Data was collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Analysis was based on mean rating (MNR), median rating (MDR), and range. Interview of each respondent lasted approximately 20 minutes. RESULTS: Of the 50 respondents who participated in this study, 17 (34%) were females. Most subjects were of age category 31-35 years (30%) and 36-40 years (34%). Fifteen (30%) admitted having sight impairment while 17 (34%) admitted that they were physically challenged. The outcome of the trainability assessment showed relatively high mean ratings (MNRs) ranging from 3.42-4.06 on a scale of 5 points. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study clearly suggest that there is a very high potential for the vocational rehabilitation and social reintegration of beggars and the destitute in the study area.