Histopahological Patterns of Premalignant and Malignant Gynecological Lesions at the Imo State University Teaching Hospital, Orlu, Nigeria: A 5 Year Review from 2010?2014

Background Gynecological lesions are a common reason for women to seek specialist care. There are a wide range of premalignant and malignant conditions for which surgical intervention is necessary. Histopathology is an important part of diagnosing and treating these lesions. Aim This study set out to analyze the frequency of histopathologically evaluated premalignant and malignant lesions of the genital tract within a tertiary healthcare institution and by extension contribute to the existing database as well as to illustrate the role of histopathology in evidenced based gynecological practice. Materials and methods This was a retrospective study of 102 cases of gynecological specimens sent for histopathology at the department of morbid anatomy that were confirmed to be either premalignant or cancerous, clinical data was also retrieved from the relevant case notes obtained from the medical records department of the Imo State University Teaching Hospital. All data were retrieved from records spanning the period of 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2014. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Results A total of 102 specimens were received during a 5 year. These lesions included cancer of the cervix of the invasive squamous variety in 51 cases (50 %), cervical intraepithelial neoplasia was seen in 31cases (30.4 %), cervical adenocarcinoma registered 7 cases (6.9 %), choriocarcinoma accounted for 3 cases (2.9 %), malignant ovarian lesions accounted for a total of 3 cases (2.9 %) namely, ovarian granulosa tumors registered 2 cases (2.0 %), while Burkitts lymphoma had 1 case (1.0 %). Conclusion Invasive squamous cell cancer of the cervix was the most frequently encountered malignancy followed by precancerous cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).