Objectives:To study the epidemiology, clinical features, staging, etiology and pathology of nasopharyngeal cancer in Sudan.Study design:This is a retrospective study.Setting:Ear, Nose and Throat Department Khartoum Teaching Hospital, Khartoum City, Sudan.Subjects and methods:Patients suspected to have nasopharyngeal cancer were assessed during the period March 2004 to May 2010. Data from confirmed cases was obtained; it included clinical and epidemiological information.Results:Three hundred and eighty five cases were studied. Bimodal age distribution of the disease was noted with two peaks, one at 15–19 years and one at 50–54 years. The male to female ratio was 2.6:1 and a distinct geographical distribution of the disease was noted, with clustering of cases in the towns of Dilling, Kadogli and the surrounding rural area of the Nuba Mountains. These areas in the Western States were reported to be of high background radiation due to naturally produced radioactive uranium. The Nuba tribe headed the list among other tribes, demonstrating a clear ethnic predilection.Sixty-eight cases presented at stage IV. There was a predominance of Type II (15.58%) and Type III (65.97%). Patients were treated by neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.Conclusions:NPC is an important form of cancer in Sudan. Some tribes are significantly more affected than others. Patients present with advanced disease. Environmental and genetic factors need further studies. Screening at risk populations that aim at early diagnosis and management of patients is recommended.

Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a known complication of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by L. donovani. It is rare in VL caused by L. infantum and L. chagasi. In Sudan, it occurs with a frequency of 58% among successfully treated VL patients. In the majority of cases, PKDL can be diagnosed on the basis of clinical appearance, distribution of the lesions, and past history of treated VL. The ideal diagnostic method is to demonstrate the parasite in smears, by culture or PCR. Diagnosis is particularly difficult in patients who develop PKDL in the absence of previous history of visceral leishmaniasis. We describe a case of cutaneous leishmaniasis misdiagnosed as PKDL and 3 cases of PKDL who were either misdiagnosed or mistreated as other dermatoses. This caused exacerbation of their disease leading to high parasite loads in the lesions and dissemination to internal organs in one of the patients, who was also diabetic. The latter patient had L. major infection. A fourth patient with papulonodular lesions on the face and arms of 17-year duration and who was misdiagnosed as having PKDL is also described. He turned out to have cutaneous leishmaniasis due to L. major. Fortunately, he was not treated with steroids. He was cured with intravenous sodium stibogluconate.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to detect Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) biopsies of Sudanese patients using EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) in Situ hybridization (EBER-ISH). Study Design: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at the National Center for ENT diseases and Head and Neck Surgery and the Institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum City, Sudan. Subjects and Methods: Biopsies from 43 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were examined for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus using EBER-ISH. Ten normal samples were used to assess the presence of the virus in non cancer tissues. Results: Fifty three samples were examined for the presence of the virus by EBER-ISH, 43 biopsies were NPC and ten were normal. Histologically the cases were, 20 (46.5%), 20 (46.5%) and 3 (7%) of the biopsies were classified as WHO types II, III and mixed type II and III, respectively; there were no cases of type I NPC. All nasopharyngeal carcinoma biopsies (100%) were positive for EBER1 in almost all carcinoma cells with focal and intense dark-blue staining limited to the nucleus; no hybridization was observed in the cytoplasm. No hybridization was observed in all ten non cancer tissues. Conclusion: All NPC cells are clearly EBV-infected. The virus is located in the nucleus of the tumour cells. The presence of Epstein-Barr virus in normal nasopharyngeal epithelia is not a common event.

In spite of the wide distribution of sickle cell disease (SCD) in Africa, an association with systemic lupus erythromatosis (SLE) is seldom reported. This may be due to the poor association between the two diseases or the high prevalence of missed cases. Progressive renal injury is prominent in both SCD and SLE. In this communication, we are presenting a case of an 11-year-old male who presented with sickle cell nephropathy that manifested as nephrotic syndrome with no response to conservative therapy, alongside unexplained massive hemolysis. His renal biopsy proved SLE superimposed on sickle cell nephropathy. We are stressing the importance of considering alternate disease processes in patients with SCD when symptoms change or when there is an atypical clinical course.

Purpose The selection of a specific medical specialty is crucial to medical students and is increasingly associated with future job satisfaction and success in the medical field. We aim to evaluate the perception of medical students at Jazan University towards choosing pathology as a future career and the factors influencing their decisions in order to better the employability of graduates and provide information to both the labor force and curriculum designers. Methods An observational cross-sectional study was conducted among a random sample of (391) students at the faculty of medicine, Jazan University, from the 2nd to 6th year who registered as a formal student in the academic year 2021/2022. Data was collected via (web-based) a self-administered questionnaire because of COVID-19 pandemic. Chi-squared tests and regression analysis were performed. Results In this investigation, 92.9% of participants responded. Only 16.2% of undergraduates selected pathology as a future career choice. Among the participants who desired to choose pathology as a career, 28.6% preferred hematopathology as a future sub-specialty. Around 16% considered the most crucial reason for not choosing pathology is the preference for direct patient contact. The differences in age groups, academic level, GPA, and educational level of father between respondents who having a desire to choose pathology as a future career were found to be significantly different. Conclusion Among the respondents involved in this study, only 16.2% were interested in pathology, while 3.1% chose the field as their first future career choice. Our findings can be applied to help undergraduate better prepare for the future and encourage them to apply to the pathology program to address the shortage of pathologists in the area. Qualitative research is a need to explore the perceptions of current pathology residents and the reasons that can encourage them to choose this important specialization as a future career.