Clinicopathological pattern of soft tissue sarcoma in a tertiary health institution in North Western Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Soft tissue sarcomas are a rare group of heterogeneous tumours that consist of several neoplasia which differentiate into different cell lines. They could arise from the mesodermal or ectodermal embryonic germ layers. Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue tumour in the paediatric age group in most studies, while in adults, malignant fibrous histocytoma, liposarcoma and fibrosarcoma are seen to be more predominant. The study aims to highlight the histological patterns, clinical presentation, associated risk factors and the patients’ performance status at presentation.Methods: This is a 5-year retrospective between the period of 2010 to 2015 of all cancer patients diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma, seen in the department of radiotherapy and oncology, a tertiary health centre in Sokoto Nigeria. Data collected included socio-demographic, histological type, clinical features, and performance status.Results: A total of 123 patients were reviewed during the study period of 2010 to 2015: males were 81 (65.9%) and females were 42 (34.1%), with a male to female ratio of 1.93:1. The commonest histological type in both the adult and paediatric age group was rhabdomyosarcoma. Most patients presented with a swelling as seen in 62 (50.4%) cases. The extremities were the commonest site of involvement, with the lower limbs consisting 41 (33%) of the total patients reviewed.Conclusions: Rhabdomyosarcoma was the most predominant histological type of soft tissue sarcoma seen over the review period and was seen in both the paediatric and adult age groups as the commonest type.