Pattern of Premalignant Cervical Lesion and Associated Risk Factors at a Tertiary Health Centre, Northwestern Nigeria: A Ten- Year Review

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women and the leading cause of gynaecologic-related morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Cervical dysplasia is a premalignant lesion of the cervix uteri that can progress to cervical cancer over time if untreated. The aim of the study was to identify the risk factors associated with cervical dysplasia and determine the pattern of premalignant lesion of the cervix among women at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital. Methodology: A 10 years retrospective study of the cases of premalignant lesion of the cervix managed at Usmanu Danfodiyo University teaching hospital Sokoto (UDUTH) from 1st January, 2013 to 31st December, 2022 was conducted. The case notes of these patients were retrieved and relevant information including socio‑demographic characteristics, risk factors and cytology results were obtained. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Results: A total of 96 cases of premalignant cervical lesion were recorded during the study period however 78 folders were retrieved and analysed giving a retrieval rate of 81%. The mean age of the patient was 43.6 years. More than half of the cases (61.5%) got married before the age of 15 years. Most of the cases (60.3%) had one sexual partner. However, 70.5% were in polygamous family setting. Fourteen (17.9%) were HIV positive. The commonest pattern of cervical dysplasia was high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL) (53.8%) followed by low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LGSIL) (30.8%), Adenocarcinoma insitu (10.3%) and ASCUS (5.1%). Conclusion: The commonest pattern of cervical dysplasia was HGSIL and this indicates the need for organized screening programs for early detection and treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).