Osteosarcoma: A clinical radiological pathological study in Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda

Purpose: To describe the clinical, radiological and pathological presentation of  osteosarcoma at Mulago Hospital, Kampala-Uganda.Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out between January 1999 and December 2001 at Mulago Hospital. A total of 32 Patients were recruited consecutively during this period. All patients had a clinical examination, plain radigraphs and biopsies of the affected Parts.Results: Thirty-two patients were recruited. The age range was 9-42 yrs with a M: F ratio of 1:1. 87.5% of the lesions were in the appendicular skeleton while 12.5% were in the axial skeleton. The commonest clinical presentation was pain. The commonest radiological presentation was that of a metadiaphyseal mixed density  lesion. The commonest site was the proximal tibia. Histology showed marked pleomorphic osteoblasts with osteoid formation.Conclusion: Osteosarcoma in Mulago hospital has not changed its clinical  radiological and histopathological manifestation over the years. All mixed density lesions located in the metaphysis of long bones at the knee joint in an adolescent with sharp pain should be investigated as Osteosacoma until proven otherwise.Key words: Osteosarcoma, clinical, radiology and histopatholog

Current knowledge, attitudes and practices of women on breast cancer and mammography at Mulago Hospital

Background: Breast cancer is the third commonest cancer in Ugandan women. Women present late for breast cancer management which leads to high mortality rates. The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Ugandan women concerning breast cancer and mammography. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study where 100 women reporting to the Radiology department were interviewed. We used consecutive sampling. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect opinions of the participants. For data analysis, answers were described as knowledge, attitude, practice and they were correlated with control variables through the chi-square. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were also used. Results: Most of the women (71%) had no idea about mammography. More than 50 % did not know about risk factors for breast cancer. The attitude towards mammography was generally negative. Regarding seeking for mammography; level of literacy, occupation and marital status were significant on bivariate analysis, however only level of literacy and employment remained the significant independent variables on logistic regression analysis. The main barrier to mammography was mainly lack of information. Conclusion: Women in this study had Page number not for citation purposes