Histopathological Patterns Of Malignant Small Blue Round Cell Tumours At University Of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, North-eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Malignant small blue round cell tumours (MSBRCT) are heterogeneous group of neoplasms. It forms one of the major causes of mortality among the paediatric age due to its aggressive biological behavior and late presentation. The patterns and incidence of these neoplasms in Africa are poorly known compared to the developed world. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the patterns of MSBRCT in Maiduguri, North Eastern, Nigeria. Methods: It was a hospital-based retrospective study using archived records from the cancer registry and histopathology register book. All histologically diagnosed cases from the histopathology department from January 2006 to December 2015 were included in the study. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. The results were presented in the form of bar charts and tables. Results: The results showed 56 cases of MSBRCT the frequency of the cancer was slightly higher among female (55.4%) than male (44.6%) with a M:F ratio of 2:3. The age range was 1-33years and the mean ± SD age was 8.05 ± 7.22 with SE of 0.628. Rhabdomyosarcoma was the most common cancer (35.7%) followed by retinoblastoma (23.2%), immature teratoma (16%) and Burkitt lymphoma (10.7%). Most of the cases were found among children less than 5 years (59 %.). Conclusion: The patterns of MSBRCT in this study is in variance with report from other African and Western countries. A dedicated childhood population-based cancer registry is strongly recommended in order to resolve MSBRCT regional patterns variation