MALIGNANT URINARY BLADDER NEOPLASMS A TWENTY YEAR HISTOPATHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS IN AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL (ABUTH) ZARIA

Abstract

Background
Malignant neoplasms of the bladder rank below common cancers such as breast, colon, cervix,
liver, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and constitute less than 5% of all malignant tumours in most centres
in Nigeria.

Objectives

This is the first time a comprehensive hospital study is being undertaken to determine the
frequency of malignant bladder neoplasms in the Department of Pathology, Ahmadu Bello
University Teaching Hospital, Zaria. The study covers the period of 20 years.
Methods
The study consisted of all diagnosed malignant urinary bladder neoplasms as recorded in the
departmental registry of all specimens. Other information collated included all the relevant clinical
bio-data as recorded. To authenticate the diagnoses, all slides of previously diagnosed cases were
reviewed by me and supervised by the consultants. Where slides were broken, unclear or faded
original tissue blocks from the archival stores where retrieved, sectioned and stained with routine
Haematoxylin and Eosin stains. The tumours were classified according to 2004 WHO
classification of urinary bladder neoplasms.
Results
A total of 237 malignant urinary bladder neoplasms were recorded and analysed, out of 622 urinary
bladder biopsies recorded in the department. The annual frequency is 11.9%, all the malignancies
were infiltrative tumours. The infiltrative urothelial carcinoma accounted for 110 (46.4%) cases
and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) accounted for 108 (45.6%) cases while mesenchymal and
glandular tumours accounted for 2 (0.8%) and 9 (3.8%) cases respectively. Schistosomiasis
associated tumours accounted for 13.5% of all cases while only 8 (3.4%) metastatic cases were
recorded. The highest frequency occurred between the ages of 40-59 years and it predominantly
affected the males.

Conclusion

This study confirms that urinary bladder malignancies are uncommon as it was recorded in other
centres in the country. It also confirms that infiltrative urothelial carcinoma are the commonest
morphological pattern in contrast to what was recorded in the past in documented literatures.
Key Words: – Bladder neoplasms, urothelial cancers, squamous cell carcinoma.

MALIGNANT URINARY BLADDER NEOPLASMS A TWENTY YEAR HISTOPATHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS IN AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL (ABUTH) ZARIA