MORPHOLOGICAL PATTERNS OF GESTATIONAL TROPHOBLASTIC DISEASES AT THE JOS UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL; A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY BETWEEN 2004 AND 2013

Abstract

A group of diseases related to normal or abnormal gestation, that have a common
denominator, the abnormal proliferation of trophoblast tissue, are generically designated
gestational trophoblastic diseases. Individual disorders differ remarkably in their appearance
(morphology) and clinical significance.
Aim and Objectives
The study was aimed at characterizing all cases of histologically diagnosed gestational
trophoblastic diseases, seen at the histopathology department of the Jos University
Teaching Hospital (JUTH), between the years 2004 and 2013, all inclusive .
Materials and Method
The study was a 10-year hospital based retrospective study employing slides and tissue blocks
of specimens from uterine evacuation products of gestation of all females diagnosed with GTD
in the histopathology department of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) from January
2004 to December 2013. The materials used in the study included records from the
departmental registry and archival slides and tissue blocks from the archives of the
histopathology department of the hospital.




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Results
A total of one hundred and fifty five (155) cases were diagnosed histologically as Gestational
Trophoblastic Diseases (GTD), during the period under review. These accounted for 0.8% of
all the surgical pathology specimens received.
One hundred and fifty one (97.4%) of the histologically diagnosed cases of GTD translated to a
frequency of 5.7 cases per 1,000 pregnancies. The following histological subtypes were seen:
sixty three cases (41.7%) were diagnosed as partial hydatidiform mole, forty-two cases (27.8%)
were choriocarcinoma, thirty-five cases (25.8%) were diagnosed as complete hydatidiform
mole. Four cases diagnosed as invasive mole accounted for 2.7%, which is closely followed by
3 cases of placental site trophoblastic tumour (PSTT), accounting for approximately 2% of
GTDs. However, no case of epithelioid trophoblastic tumour (ETT) was seen.
Conclusion
GTD was found to be common in Jos and had a frequency of 5.7 cases per 1000 pregnancies in
our series. The most common histological subtype was partial hydatidiform mole, closely
followed by choriocarcinoma. The molar lesions peaked in the third and fourth decades, while
choriocarcinoma peaked in the third decade of life.