A ten-year study of prostate cancer specimens at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (A.B.U.T.H), Zaria, Nigeria

BackgroundIn recent years attention has focused on malignant prostatic lesions due to the perceived high incidence of prostatic carcinoma in different geographical areas worldwide.Unfortunately, African American race/ethnicity is one of the three primary non-modifiable risk factors confirmed for prostate cancer.ObjectiveTo analyze the pattern of distribution of prostate cancer among men in Zaria, Northern Nigeria.Patients and methodsThis is a 10-year retrospective histopathological analysis of all prostate cancer cases diagnosed between January 1991 and December 2000 in the Department of Pathology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (A.B.U.T.H), Zaria, Nigeria. Haematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) stained histology slides were retrieved and studied. The patients’ bio-data were retrieved from the patient case files and departmental records. After histological assessment, the tumours were classified according to WHO recommendation. Histological grading and staging of adenocarcinoma was done using the Gleason Score.ResultsBetween January 1991 and December 2000, a total of 151 cases of prostate cancer were seen, constituting 4.1% of all malignancies and 10.1% of male malignancies seen during this period. The diagnosis was based on histopathological analysis of specimens obtained from Trucut needle biopsies and open prostatectomies. The patients’ age ranged from 30 to 79 years with a mean age of 64.5 years. The peak age at diagnosis was in the seventh decade, while two relatively young patients were found to have prostate cancer at the age of 30 and 32, respectively. All the tumours were adenocarcinomas, 51.6% were poorly and 58.4% moderately differentiated.ConclusionProstate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Most of the patients presented late. The peak age at diagnosis in this review was the seventh decade and two patients aged 30 and 32 years were found to have prostate cancer.