A Review of Vulvar and Vaginal Cancers in Ibadan, Nigeria

Clement A. Okolo, MBBS, M. Olatokunboh Odubanjo, MBBS, Olutosin A. Awolude, MBBS, Effiong EU Akang, MBBS

Abstract


The objectives of this study are to give an update on the previous studies on vulvar and vaginal cancers from the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria, to elucidate any changes in pattern, and to enumerate some of the factors affecting the management of these cancers at the UCH today.  All the cases of cancer of the vulva and vagina seen at the UCH between January 1981 and December 2008 were reviewed and re-classified according to the World Health Organization (WHO) histological classification of 2004.  The results are as follows: Vaginal and vulvar cancers were the 4th (1.4%) and 5th (1.2%) most common of the 5913 gynecological cancers seen. The mean age was 49.7 years.  Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was the most common histological type.  Notably, vulvar cancer is more common than vaginal cancer in the US and the UK and this opposes our findings. We studied time periods before and after the year 2000, and found vaginal cancer to be more common before and vulvar cancer after the year 2000.  We suggest that this may be related to the introduction of the FIGO guidelines in 2000. We conclude that it is important to strictly adhere to the FIGO guidelines in determining the primary site of origin of these cancers in patients with advanced local disease as this distinction has implications for clinical management.

[N A J Med Sci. 2013;6(2):76-81.   DOI:  10.7156/najms.2013.0602076]


Keywords


vulvar, vaginal, cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, Ibadan, Nigeria

Full Text:

PDF

References


Babarinsa IA, Fakokunde FA, Ogunbiyi JO, Adewole IF. Vulvar and vaginal cancers as seen at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Afr J Med Med Sci. 1999;28(1-2):77-80.

Wu X, Matanoski G, Chen VW, et al. Descriptive epidemiology of vaginal cancer incidence and survival by race, ethnicity, and age in the United States. Cancer Supplement. 2008;113(S10):2873-2882.

Saraiya M, Watson M, Wu X, et al. Incidence of in situ and invasive vulvar cancer in the US 1998-2003. Cancer Supplement. 2008;113(S10):2865-2872.

Andersen ES, Paavonen J, Murnaghan M, et al. In: Tavassoli FA, Devilee P, Editors. WHO Classification of Tumors No 4. Pathology and Genetics Tumors of the Breast and Female Genital Organs. Lyon, France, 2003, 291-311.

Wilkinson EJ, Teixera MR, Kempson RL, Hendrickson MR. Vulva. In: Tavassoli FA, Devilee P, Editors. WHO Classification of Tumors No 4. Pathology and Genetics Tumors of the Breast and Female Genital Organs. Lyon, France, 2003, 313.

Nigeria: Human Papillomavirus and Related Cancers, Summary Report Update 2009, WHO/ICO HPV Information Centre, © World Health Organization and Institut Catala d’Oncologia 2010. http://apps.who.int/hpvcentre/statistics/dynamic/ico/country_pdf/NGA.pdf . Accessed on 4/1/2013.

Cancer Facts and Figures for 2009, © American Cancer Society, 2009, available at http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/500809web.pdf.

UK vulval cancer incidence statistics. Cancer research UK- New & resources - Cancer Stats - 26 types of cancer - Vulval cancer – Incidence. http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/vulva/incidence/index.html. Accessed on 4/1/2013.

Thomas JO, Herrero R, Omigbodun AA, et al. Prevalence of papillomavirus infection in women in Ibadan, Nigeria: a population-based study. Br J Cancer. 2004;90(3):638-645.

SEER Stat Fact Sheets - Cancer of the vulva, © National Cancer Institute 2010, United States. http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/vulva.html. Accessed on 4/1/2013.

UK vaginal cancer incidence statistics. Cancer research UK- New & resources - Cancer Stats - 26 types of cancer - Vaginal cancer - Incidence, http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/vagina/incidence/index.html. Accessed on 4/1/2013.

Higgins RV, Naumann RW, Hall J. eMedicine Specialties > Obstetrics and Gynecology > Gynecologic Surgery, Surgical Treatment of Vulvar Cancer available at http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/268880-overview.

Jemal A, Siegel R, Ward E, Hao Y, Xu J, Thun MJ. Cancer statistics, 2009. CA Cancer J Clin. 2009;59(4):225-249.

Serur E. Vaginal cancer. www2.saintfranciscare.com/serur vaginalcancer. Accessed on 4/1/2013.

Kyari O, Nggada H, Mairiga A. Malignant tumours of female genital tract in North Eastern Nigeria. E Afr Med J. 2004;81(3):142-145.

Mohammed A, Ahmed SA, Oluwole OP, Avidime S. Malignant tumours of the female genital tract in Zaria, Nigeria: Analysis of 513 cases. Ann Afr Med. 2006;5(2):93-96.

Nwosu SO, Anya SE. Malignancies of the female genital tract at the university of Port Harcourt teaching hospital: a ten year review - 1990-1999. Niger Postgrad Med J. 2004;11(2):107-109.

Benedet JL, Bender H, Jones H III, Ngan HY, Pecorelli S. FIGO staging classifications and clinical practice guidelines in the management of gynecologic cancers. FIGO Committee on Gynecologic Oncology. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2000;70(2):209-262.

Vulvar cancer treatment (PDQ®)- Health professional version. © National Cancer Institute, at the National Institutes of Health. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/vulvar/HealthProfessional. Accessed on 4/1/2013.

Vaginal cancer treatment (PDQ®)- Health professional version. © National Cancer Institute, at the National Institutes of Health. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/vaginal/HealthProfessional. Accessed on 4/1/2013.

Cervical cancer treatment (PDQ)- Health professional version. National Cancer Institute, at the National Institutes of Health. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/cervical/HealthProfessional. Accessed on 4/1/2013.

Gharoro EP, Okonkwo CA, Onafowokan O. Adenocarcinoma of the Bartholin’s gland in a 34 year old multipara. Acta Obstet Gynaecol Scand. 2001;80(3):279-280.

Nascimento AF, Granter SR, Cviko A, Yuan L, Hecht JL, Crum CP. Vulvar Acanthosis With Altered Differentiation: A Precursor to Verrucous Carcinoma? Am J Surg Pathol. 2004;28(5):638-643.

Yoder BJ, Rufforny I, Massoll NA, Wilkinson EJ. Stage IA Vulvar Squamous Cell Carcinoma: An Analysis of Tumor Invasive Characteristics and Risk. Am J Surg Pathol. 2008;32(5):765-772.

Olayemi O, Aimakhu CO, Omigbodun AO, et al. Vulval carcinoma in pregnancy. Obstetric case reports. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2002;22(4):441-442.

Skapa P, Zamecnik J, Hamsikova E, et al. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Profiles of Vulvar Lesions: Possible Implications for the Classification of Vulvar Squamous Cell Carcinoma Precursors and for the Efficacy of Prophylactic HPV Vaccination. Am J Surg Pathol. 2007;31(12):1834-1843.

Scurry JP, Vanin K. Vulvar squamous cell carcinoma and lichen sclerosus. Australas J Dermatol. 1997;38(Suppl 1):S20-534

Fact Sheet on HPV vaccines, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, Sexually Transmitted Diseases > Health Communication > Fact Sheets > HPV Vaccine Information For Young Women, available at http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine-young-women.htm#hpvvac1.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.