Observations by health care professionals about wound healing in Ghanaian patients who skin-bleach.

Skin-bleaching is a common practice globally and is associated with many cutaneous and systemic health risks. Anecdotally, skin-bleaching is linked to impairments in wound healing, but there are little data to support the claim. This cross-sectional survey of health care professionals serving the Greater Accra Region, Ghana region investigates their observations of wound healing in patients who skin-bleach and their methods for screening skin-bleach use in patients. A 25-item self-administered questionnaire using 5-point Likert scale was distributed with convenient sampling to physicians and nurses employed at Ghanaian hospitals. Fifty-seven electronic and 78 paper responses were collected (total = 135). Most respondents agreed that wounds in skin-bleaching patients heal more slowly (4.22), are more prone to infection (4.11), haemorrhage (3.89), wound dehiscence (3.9), and are more difficult to manage (4.13). No respondent reported universal screening of all patients for skin-bleaching, but most ask about skin-bleaching if there is suspicion of it (42.2%). Our findings support the anecdotes about observable wound healing impairments in patients who skin-bleach. There is also wide variation in skin-bleaching screening practices, suggesting a need for guidelines to properly identify these patients and facilitate early risk prevention.

A retrospective analysis of breast cancer subtype based on ER/PR and HER2 status in Ghanaian patients at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease composed of multiple subgroups with different molecular alterations, cellular composition, clinical behaviour, and response to treatment. This study evaluates the occurrence of the various subtypes and their clinical and pathological behaviour in the Ghanaian breast cancer population at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH). METHODS: Retrospective review of case notes of patients who had completed treatment for breast cancer at the KBTH within the last 5 years was conducted between April 2011 and March 2012. Subtypes were determined by immunohistochemistry classification based on expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2). RESULT: A total of 165 cases contributed to this study. The mean age at diagnosis was 52.5 ± 12.1 years. Tumour size ranged from 0.8 cm to 15 cm with a mean of 4.9 ± 2.8 cm and median of 4 cm. Tumour grade was Grade I 8.3 %, Grade II 60.8 % and Grade III 30.8 %. ER, PR and HER2/neu receptor positivity was 32.1, 25.6 and 25.5 % respectively. Almost half (49.4 %) of the study population had triple negative tumours. Luminal A, luminal B and non-luminal HER2 were 25.6, 12.2, and 12.8 % respectively. No statistically significant association was seen between subtype and tumour size, tumour grade, lymph node status and age at diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Triple negative tumour is the most occurring subtype in the Ghanaian breast cancer population treated at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. Lack of association seen between subtypes and their clinical and pathological behaviour could be due to small sample size.

An unusual case of incidental pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor presenting with main pancreatic duct cystic dilatation.

INTRODUCTION: Pancreatic lesions have varied morphology and presentation making their diagnosis challenging. The lesions may be asymptomatic incidentalomas on abdominal imaging for other conditions, symptomatic producing specific hormone effects or causing local effects. CASE: We report a 35-year-old woman with recurrent abdominal pain confirmed gastroesophageal reflux disease. Initial CT imaging reported findings of a pancreatic pseudocysts. A careful review of the imaging showed cystic dilatation of the main pancreatic duct mimicking a main pancreatic duct intra-ductal papillary mucinous neoplasm. At surgery, a small nodule palpated in the pancreatic head with sacculation in the body and tail. A histopathological review showed a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour blocking the main pancreatic duct at the neck causing downstream dilatation and sacculation. This case highlights the difficulty of diagnosing small asymptomatic pancreatic tumours especially with limited range of imaging modalities while increasing awareness of these conditions to improve our ability to manage them effectively.

Synchronous Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Perigastric Lymph Node Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Unknown Primary: A Case Report.

We report a case of 65 years old man who was found on routine esophagogastroduodenoscopy to have gastric tumour. Histology revealed adenocarcinoma. Staging investigation with abdominal computed tomography (CT) confirmed gastric cancer of the antrum with lymph node enlargement at hepato-duodenal ligament. The patient underwent laparoscopic assisted distal gastrectomy with D2 lymph-adenectomy. Pathology revealed intestinal type moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma invading lamina propria (pT1a). Four positive lymph nodes out of 34 did not show metastatic adeno-carcinoma but rather Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) and were positive for p63 and CK5/6 on immunohistochemistary. Primary site of SCC was not found. He received adjuvant chemotherapy with TS-1 60 mg. After two years of follow-up he is asymptomatic and repeated EGD and abdominal CT Scan were normal. Herein, the authors report the case of early gastric cancer with synchronous metastatic SCC with unknown primary site.