Clinical presentation and pathologic patterns of renal cell carcinoma at a tertiary hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A retrospective study
Abstract
Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a group of malignancies arising from the epithelium of the renal tubules. RCC accounts for 2%–3% of all adult malignancies, representing the seventh most common cancer in men and the ninth most common cancer in women. There has been a recent and continuing increase in the numbers of cancer cases and cancer deaths in low- and middle-income countries; more than 70% of all cancer deaths now occur in these countries.
The study was done to describe the clinical presentation and pathology of renal cell carcinoma in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Methods: This was a hospital based retrospective study from June 01, 2017 to May 31, 2018. All patients registered with the diagnosis of RCC were retrieved from the archive and their charts carefully evaluated and information filled on the prepared questionnaire. Then data verified and crossed checked and entered in to SPSS Version 20. Data was analyzed and results discussed as per the pre-set objective.
Results: A total of 64 patients were identified and analyzed. The number of males and females were 33 and 31, respectively, with ratio of approximately 1:1. Flank pain, mostly described as discomfort, was the commonest presenting symptom seen in 94% of patients. As compared to worldwide figures, the complaint of flank pain is way common and the classic triad of flank pain, hematuria and abdominal pain was observed more frequently (25 % vs 9%).The most common post-operative histopathology type was clear cell type (55%), followed by chromophobe (20%) and papillary(18%), respectively.
Conclusions: Flank pain is an important feature of RCC and flank discomfort should not be taken lightly as it can be symptom of an underlying serious disease. A triad of flank pain, hematuria and abdominal swelling was observed in one fourth of our patients which is sign of late presentation. The most common post-operative histopathology type was clear cell type (55%), followed by chromophobe (20%) and papillary (18%).
