The Occurrence and Pattern of Uterine Cervix Lesions in the Tropics: The Igbo Women of Eastern Nigeria Experience

The process of disease development in the cervix follows stimulus from oncogenic factor acting principally on the anterior and posterior cervical lips site during cervical eversion resulting to metaplasia in one hand, or on the histophysiology and immunity to give disease. The lesions of the cervix vary in number, type, and rare with few children forms in existence. From 18 years retrospective study were 1501 specimens of uterine cervix from Igbo female patients of South-Eastern Nigeria whose ages ranged from 20 to 79 years, consulted at 5 major Hospitals and Pathology Laboratories. Common clinical symptoms were irregular vaginal bleeding, lower abdominal pain, post coital bleeding, and weakness in the morning. Nine diseases found were inflammation, benign neoplasia, and three sub-types of carcinoma. Benign lesions were 28% in 5 age groups and 75% is inflammatory, and 40 - 49 was most burdened with 52% cases while 19% are in 20 - 29. Sixty six percent cancers occurred in 5 age groups to which 34% is in 50 - 59 and is followed by 30% in 60 - 69. All cervical diseases distribution showed 35% were in 40 - 49 and 27% with 50 - 59 while 7% occurred in 20 - 29. Squamous cell carcinoma is 38% of all cervical diseases and was found most 57% of 989 cancer cases. Cancers nuclear features were specific and undifferentiated showed 78% of oval nuclear over all shapes, and 60% were seen of poorly differentiated. All diseases were histomorphologically distinguishable in pattern of cells arrangement and haematologic parameters less significance.