Abstract

Abstract

Introduction: Epidemiological information on cancer including its pattern is an important basis for determining the priorities for cancer control and prevention in any population group. The present study was conducted to investigate the pattern of adult malignancies in Aden governorate, Yemen.

Methods: This retrospective and descriptive study included the review the information of all cancer patients registered in the period 2016 through 2017 obtained from the National Oncology Centre-Aden, Yemen database and individual patient files. The major types of cancer were ranked in order of relative frequency and the average annual incidence rates: crude (CIR), age standardized (ASR) and age specific (ASIR) per 100,000 populations were then calculated.

Results: Out of a total of 486 new adult cancer cases, females accounted for 294 cases (60.5%) and males for 192 (39.5%), with male to female ratio of 1:1.7. The CIR and ASR for both genders were 48.4 and 47.0 cases per 100,000 populations respectively, which were lower for male than in female’s population (CIR 37.2 and ASR 38.5 vs CIR 60.4 and ASR 56.3, respectively). Breast cancer was the commonest cancer (142 cases; 29.2%) in both genders; followed by colorectal (51; 10.5%), leukemias (38; 7.8%); non-Hodgkin lymphomas (26; 5.3%) and stomach (25; 5.1%). In male patients, colorectal (28; 14.6%), followed by leukemias (24;12.5%), nasopharynx (17; 8.9%), stomach; lungs (16; 8.3% each), and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (13; 6.8%) while in female patients, breast (142; 48.3%), followed by colorectal (23; 7.8%); ovary (22;7.5%); corpus uteri (15; 5.1%) and leukemias (14; 4.8%) were the commonest malignancies.

Conclusion: Cancer appears as a significant health problem in Aden, Yemen. Development of active cancer registration activities in order to collect and unify all cancer data in one system as a mandatory procedure is highly recommended to form the basis for future studies and strategies for cancer control and prevention.

Keywords:  Breast, Cancer, Colorectal, Epidemiology, Incidence.

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