Malignant childhood solid tumours in Benin City, Nigeria.
BACKGROUND
Tumours are uncommon in childhood; malignancies are even more uncommon. Yet malignancies are among the leading causes of childhood death in many parts of the world. The pattern of these tumours in Benin City Nigeria, however, is not known.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the pattern and histological types of childhood tumours in a Nigerian teaching hospital.


METHODS
All histologically diagnosed cases of malignant solid tumours in children less than 15 years of age seen over a 10 year at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) Benin City of southern Nigeria were analysed in order to determine their histological patterns.


RESULTS
Eighty-four cases of malignant tumours were seen during the 10-year period (1993 to 2002) in children less than 15 years of age at the UBTH Benin City. Forty-nine (50.3%) cases occurred in males and 35 (41.7%) in females. There was a decline in the frequency of childhood cancer with increasing age. The histological types, in descending order of frequency, were lymphoma 28(33.3%), nephroblastoma 18 (21.4%), retinoblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma 12 (14.3%) each, and carcinoma 9 (10.7%). The head and neck region was the commonest location for all the various histological types (except tumours arising from tissues specific to other regions e.g. nephroblastoma). About 40% of all tumours occurred in the head and neck compared to 32% that occurred in the abdomen.


CONCLUSIONS
Malignant childhood solid tumour pattern in Benin City Nigeria is similar to that observed in other third world countries.
Akhiwu
W O
WO
Department of Histopathology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City Nigeria. wilakh@yahoo.com
Igbe
A P
AP
Aligbe
J U
JU
Eze
G I
GI
Akang
E E U
EE
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D019572:Retinal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D012175:Retinoblastoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D009396:Wilms Tumor / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology