Cancer Patterns In Ilorin: An Analysis Of Ilorin Cancer Registry Statistics

Abstract

Most of the common cancer cases registered at Cancer, a non communicable disease of mankind our center are controllable and their burden could be has become a major public health issue. Yet reliable data minimized. Therefore, there is need for country-wide on cancer incidence in Nigeria is lacking due to dearth of cancer screening policy and immunization population based cancer registries in the counties. The programmes for early detection and prevention, for an essence of this presentation is to illustrate the burden of effective control of cancer in Nigeria. cancer in terms of its occurrence, pattern and establish the base line data on cancer at our centre. Data presented were new cancer cases diagnosed clinically, radiologically, histologically or by cytology and registered at Ilorin cancer registry from 1999-2003. Collection of data was by active reporting, while the sources of information included the wards, clinics, laboratories, radiology department and autopsy records. Coding of primary sites of cancer was according to International classification of disease for oncology 10th edition (ICD 10th) of World Health Organization. Over a period of 5 years, 1999-2003 a total of 1187 new cancer cases were registered comprising of 456 (38.42%) males and 731 (61.58%) females. Male to Female ratio was 1:1.6. The top five common cancers at our centre were breast cancer, 266(22.41%); cervical cancer, 156 (13.14%); hepatocellular carcinoma, 152 (12.81); malignant lymphoma 56(4.72%) and prostate carcinoma 51 (4.30%), all constituting more than fifty percent (57.37%) of the three total new cancer cases registered. Cancers of the liver, 97 (21.27%); prostate, 51 (15.85%) and colorectal, 26 (9.18%) were the commonest in males while in females, the leading malignancies were breast, 262 (35.84% of cancer cases in women); cervix, 156 (21.34%) and hepatocellular carcinoma, 55(18.44%). Cancer of the lung is rare in both sexes. Children accounted for 6.23% of all the cases and are dominated by malignant lymphoma.

Keywords: Cancer, Cancer registry, population-based cancer registry

The Tropical Journal of Health Sciences Vol 19 No 1 (January 2012)