Pathology of vaginal cancers in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. A 14-year study

Primary malignancies of the vagina are rare as most are metastatic lesions. This study documents a 14-year experience in a tertiary institution in South Southern, Nigeria.

A retrospective study of clinical presentations including anatomic sites and histopathologic diagnosis of cancers of the vagina in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital

The tissues received for histologic diagnosis were fixed in 10% formal saline, processed and embedded in paraffin wax. Microtome sections of the tissue (3 -5 microns) were taken and mounted on glass slides and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) stains. Cases in which both the slide and blocks could not be traced were excluded from the study.

A total of 2389 malignancies were diagnosed during the period under review of which 344 were gynaecological. Fifteen cases of vaginal cancers satisfied the criteria for the study, constituting 0.63% and 4.36% of the total and gynaecological malignancies respectively. Five cases (33.33%) occurred in children below the age of 20 years, while 10 cases (66.67%) were in adults. The peak incidence was in the group 0 9 and 60-69 years. Irregular vaginal bleeding was the commonest clinical presentation and the upper posterior vaginal wall was the commonest anatomic site. The most frequent histological type was the non-keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma while FIGO stage 111 (46.67%) cancer was the commonest stage at presentation.

Vaginal cancers are rare in this environment but they contribute to high morbidity and mortality among women of all ages as the disease is diagnosed at an advanced stage.