Bladder cancer in Kano--a histopathological review

Malignant tumours of the bladder have been observed to be quite common in Kano but there has been no formal study. This four-year (1998-2001) retrospective review sought to document the pattern of these neoplasms. Vesical malignancies constituted 6.4% of all cancers in Kano with squamous (53%) and transitional (35%) carcinomas as the most common histological types. Males outnumbered females more than five times (M:F = 5.2.:1). Cancer of the bladder was most prevalent in the 5th and 6th decades with a mean age of 48.8 years. In general our findings are similar to bladder cancer in other schistosomal endemic regions of Africa.