Spectrum of Female Genital Tract Cancers in The Pre Covid Verses Covid Pandemic Period at PIMS Pathology Department

Abstract

Objective: To determine the trends in gynecological cancers over the past decade, including the latest fifteen months, COVID pandemic period at PIMS.

Methodology:  The study was conducted at the Department of Obs & Gynae, MCH Center and Pathology department PIMS, Islamabad from 1st January 2012 to 31st July 2021. Data were entered and analyzed in SPSS version 23.0. Comparison of numbers and rates of different cancers was undertaken for all cases of female genital tract cancers (FGT) in PIMS laboratory during the study. The patient age, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry analyzed. The FGT cancer frequency compared COVID and pre-COVID period. To determine significance, Student t-test and chi-square test have been applied and p value of < 0.05 considered significant.

Results: Total FGT cancer pathologic diagnosis was 168. The annual number of FGT cancer specimens ranged from 13 in 2019 to 22 in 2020. Uterine cancers were 35.1%, cervical 32.7%, ovarian 29.8% while miscellaneous comprised 2.4%. Among the 59 uterine cancers, 53 were endometrioid carcinomas while 6 were stromal tumors. For 50 ovarian cancers, 25 were epithelial ovarian while 25 were stromal or germ cell tumors. Among 55 cervical cancers, majority were squamous cell carcinomas with only 2 adenocarcinomas. Thirty (17.8%) of FGT cancers had immunohistochemistry performed.

Conclusion: Uterine cancers were commonest followed by ovarian and cervical carcinomas. No decrease in FGT cancer specimens was noted in the COVID pandemic.