Retrospective Observational Study of Surgically Treated Gynaecological Malignancies at a Tertiary Care Centre in Bihar

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases form a major bulk of patients in our country and are now the target of policy makers in India. Cancer is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality and needs to be tackled aggressively. Female genital tract malignancies have a worldwide distribution, but the distribution and frequency vary from one region to another. The objective of this study is to determine the patterns and frequencies of female genital tract malignancies in our population. The current study is a retrospective analysis of all operated cases of gynaecological malignancies from January 2012 to December 2016 at a tertiary care centre in Bihar.MethodologyOut of 264 cases operated, 150 cases (56.81%) were of ovarian cancer, 83 (31.44%) were of cervical cancer, 26 (9.84%) were of endometrial cancer, 3 (1.14%) were of vulvar cancer, 1 (0.38%) was of choriocarcinoma and 1 (0.38%) was of fallopian tube carcinoma.ResultsA total of 264 cases of gynaecological malignancies underwent surgery. Ovarian cancer was the most common (56.81%), followed by cervical cancer (31.44%). The age of occurrence of gynaecological malignancies ranged from 9 to 70\xa0years, and the mean age of presentation was 44\xa0years. Peak frequency is observed in the fifth decade of life. Serous cyst adenocarcinoma was the most common histopathological type in ovarian cancer, squamous cell carcinoma was the most common in cervical and vulvar cancers and endometrioid adenocarcinoma was the most common type in endometrial cancer. Many rare histopathological variants were noted in our study.ConclusionAs ovarian cancer is tricky, is hard to spot and spreads faster than any other cancer in the female reproductive system, the awareness of risk factors and that of vague symptoms can lead to early detection. Cervical cancer is preventable. To bring down its incidence rate, the Indian government, like its Western counterparts, needs to implement strict screening guidelines and strengthen our primary health centres and community health centres with facilities for screening.