HISTOPATHOLOGICAL TYPES OF OVARIAN NEOPLASMS IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL, IBADAN BETWEEN JANUARY 1991 AND JUNE 2013

Abstract

Design- This was a retrospective study carried out at the Department of Pathology, University
College Hospital, Ibadan.
Aim- The aim of this study was to determine the histopathological pattern of ovarian neoplasms
seen at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Methods- Histologically confirmed cases of ovarian neoplasms diagnosed at the University
College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan between January 1991 and June 2013 were used for the study.
Cases with inadequate clinical or pathology data and those whose blocks and or slides could
notbe retrieved were excluded from the study. Data were obtained from the records of the
Department of Pathology. The cases were histologically classified using the 2003 WHO
histological classification of tumours of the ovary. The data obtained were subjected to statistical
analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.
Results- A total of 868 cases of ovarian neoplasm were included in this study. Five hundred and
ten (58.8%) were benign, 351 (40.6%) were malignant and 6 (0.7%) were borderline tumours.
Three hundred and sixty-two (41.7%) cases were right sided, 297 (34.2%) were left sided and
209 (24.1%) were bilateral. Eight hundred and twenty-two (94.7%) cases were primary ovarian
tumours and 46 (5.3%) constituted the secondary ovarian neoplasms. The age range was from 4
to 92 years with the mean age of 39.2 (S. D = 15.8 years). The peak age of occurrence of ovarian
neoplasms was in the fourth decade. Surface epithelial tumours were the most common
histological type of ovarian neoplasms constituting 359 (41.4%) closely followed by Germ cell
tumours 313 (36.1%). Mature cystic teratoma was the commonest benign ovarian tumour
accounting for 279 (32.1%) cases. It showed a wide range of occurrence with peak occurrence
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between 20 and 29 years. Serous cystadenocarcinoma was the commonest malignant ovarian
tumour accounting for 117 (13.5%) of all ovarian neoplasms with peak age of occurrence
between 50 and 59 years.
Conclusion- Surface epithelial tumours were the most common ovarian neoplasm followed by
germ cell tumours. This pattern is observed in most parts of Nigeria, some African and Asian
countries, and in the Western world.

Keywords: Histopathological pattern, ovarian neoplasms, Ibadan, Nigeria