Histolopathological patterns of cervical carcinoma seen at a radiotherapy centre in Ibadan, Nigeria

The treatment of cervical carcinoma is dependent on many factors including histological types and degree of differentiation. Degree of differentiation is an important consideration in determining the prognostic outcome.

The study investigates the histological pattern and grades of cervical cancer tumours seen at a radiotherapy centre in Ibadan, Nigeria.

This retrospective study was carried out within Radiotherapy Department of University College Hospital, Ibadan. The records of patients diagnosed of cervical cancer seen between July 2008 and June 2010 were analysed. Data pulled out included age, disease stage at presentation, histological variant and degree of differentiation.

206 patients were seen during the period of which 196 had complete data. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was seen in 178 patients (i.e. 90.8%) while 14 patients (7.1%) had adenocarcinoma. One patient each had adenoid cystic carcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma, clear cell carcinoma and mucinous carcinoma. Majority of the patients, 99 (50.5%) had poorly differentiated tumours, 64 (32.7%) had well differentiated tumours, while the rest 33 (16.8%) had moderately differentiated tumours. Of the SCC tumours, 95 (53.4%) were poorly differentiated, 58 (32.6%) well differentiated while the remaining 25 (14%) were moderately differentiated. In comparison only 3 of the 14 adenocarcinoma cases (21.4%) were poorly differentiated, 5 cases (35.7%) were well differentiated, while 6 (42.9%) were moderately differentiated. The difference in the degree of differentiation between squamous histology and adenocarcinoma was statistically significant (p value = 0.002).

Poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma remains the leading variants of cervical cancer seen in our environment.