Mo Buhari

Pattern of rhabdomyosarcoma in Nigerian children.

BACKGROUND Soft-tissue sarcomas are uncommon tumors that are infrequently seen in most surgical practices. They represent 6.5% of all cancers in children < 15 years of age and are the fifth leading cause of cancer death in that age group. This study was conducted to show the prevalence and pattern of distribution of rhabdomyosarcoma among children in a black African population. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 232 cases of soft-tissue sarcomas that were managed for a period of 22 years (1985-2006). Materials were obtained from the clinical records, operation notes and histopathology reports of the patients. The records of patients with rhabdomyosarcoma were analyzed in details. RESULTS The result showed the age peak incidence for the total soft-tissue sarcomas occurring between the third and sixth decades of life. Rhabdomyosarcoma constitutes 9.5% of the total number of patients managed, and 54.5% of these patients are age < 20 years. CONCLUSION We conclude that parents must be educated about the need to look out for any mass on their children that persists for > 4 weeks so as to reduce the delayed and advanced stage of presentation.

Clinico-pathological patterns of squamous cell carcinoma in Nigeria

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer and frequently arises in the sun-exposed skin of middle-aged and elderly individuals. We retrospectively reviewed 443 patients managed for SCC (cutaneous and non-cutaneous) in our hospital from January 1979 to December 2002. The age distribution showed peak incidence between fourth and sixth decades of life. The duration of symptoms ranged from 6 months to 552 months (standard deviation [SD] = 54.29), while the head and neck region was the most common site of cutaneous SCC. SCC is not rare in our environment. Patients with skin lesions are advised to present early to their physician for early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.