Shahid Jamal

The pattern of gynecological malignancies in 968 cases from Pakistan

The pattern of gynaecological malignancies is different in various geographical areas. It is said that cervical cancer is one of the leading cancers in women worldwide second only to breast cancer; 80% of new cases occur in developing countries. In African and Indian studies as well it is cervical cancer that is the most frequent of gynaecological malignancies. In most studies from Pakistan cervical cancer is not the top gynaecological malignancy; ovarian tumors are more frequent. In the previous tumour registry data analysis from our institute ovarian tumors were also more frequent than cervical cancer. The histological pattern particularly of ovarian tumors is also slightly different than that reported in different studies as is the age distribution of cases. The purpose of this analysis was to find the pattern of gynaecological malignancies in our population and to compare it with other national and international studies. (excerpt)

Malignant tumors of the minor salivary glands in northern Pakistan: a clinicopathological study

BACKGROUND Malignant tumors of the minor salivary glands comprise a small but significant proportion of oral cancers. We analyzed this group of tumors in our population. METHODS The records of all cases of malignant minor salivary gland tumors diagnosed at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi, Pakistan, during a period of 10 years (1994-2003) are described. The institute receives biopsy material from armed forces and public and private sector hospitals in northern Pakistan as well as referrals for second opinion. RESULTS A total of 21168 tumors were recorded at the AFIP Tumor Registry during the study period. These included 70 malignant minor salivary gland tumors. Twenty-three of these (32.8%) arose in the palate while the remaining tumors originated at other sites in the oral cavity. The commonest histological type was adenoid cystic carcinoma, constituting 30 cases (42.8%). The next most common type was mucoepidermoid carcinoma comprising 26 (37.1%) cases. The mean age of cases was 43.4 years and the male-to-female ratio was 1:1.4. There were 2 cases each of polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma and clear cell adenocarcinoma. The remaining cases included undifferentiated carcinomas, adenocarcinomas (not otherwise specified) and a few other rare tumors. CONCLUSION Adenoid cystic carcinoma was the commonest malignant neoplasm of the minor salivary glands followed by mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The palate was the commonest location of these tumors.