Histopathological study of soft tissue malignancies in a teaching hospital, Sagamu, South-West Nigeria.
BACKGROUND
Soft tissue malignancies constituted a heterogeneous group of rare solid tumors of mesenchymal cell origin with distinct clinical and pathological features.


OBJECTIVE
To review all the histologically confirmed soft tissue malignancies, with their age, sex distribution, and histological characteristics in Sagamu, South-West Nigeria.


METHODS
A review of all the medical and pathological records and slides of histopathologically diagnosed soft tissue malignancy cases seen between January 2003 and December 2006. Routine haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining as well as histochemical studies were carried out.


RESULTS
It constituted 1.84% of a total number of malignancies (1250 cases) diagnosed with a male to female ratio of 1.9:1 and 18(72.3%) cases occurring in the patients above 20 years. Rhabdomyosarcoma was the most preponderant soft tissue malignancy, constituting 13 (59.1%) cases with the embryonal type predominating (53.8%). Most cases of soft tissue malignancies were seen in the trunk as well in the lower limbs; constituting 63.0%. However, most cases of rhabdomyosarcoma in this study were seen in the lower limbs in 76.9%.


CONCLUSIONS
Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue malignancy in Sagamu especially the embryonal variant which is seen predominantly in childhood and adolescence.
Abudu
E K
EK
Department of Morbid Anatomy, Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria. ekabudu@yahoo.com
Akinde
O R
OR
Oyebadejo
T O
TO
Efunshile
A M
AM
Musa
O A
OA
Banjo
A A F
AA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult