PATTERN OF CANCER IN YEMEN: FIRST RESULT FROM THE NATIONAL ONCOLOGY CENTER, SANA'A, 2007
Afif AL-Nabhi, Ahmed M.T. Algharati, Gamal Abdul Hamid*, Abdul Whab Al-Nehmi, Ahmed Shamlan
ABSTRACT
Yemen is a developing country located in the south west of Asia, occupying the south of Arab Peninsula. Cancer is a major public health problem in Yemen, the size of the problem and underlying risk factors is not yet well studied. The aim of this study is to report the pattern of cancers in Yemen. Material and methods: Data for the year 2007 available at the cancer registry department in National Oncology Center were used. Descriptive analysis of 3782 cases with various types were registered according to type of cancer, age, sex, site of lesion, and governorate and has been analyzed using Epi info 7. Results: In 2007, a total of 3782 cases were registered with an equal male to female ratio and median age at diagnosis of 50 years that was slightly lower among females than males: 47 vs. 50 respectively. Among females, breast cancer was the most common cancer (21%) followed by lymphoma (8%) ovary and leukemia (7% each ) , while among males the most common cancers were lymphomas (11%), leukemia (9%) and liver , stomach and CNS tumors (7% each). Of all registered cases, there were 437 cancer cases (11.6%) aged 15 years old or less with a median age of 7 years. The most common cancer among children were leukemia (24%), followed by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (17%) and CNS tumors and Hodgkin's lymphoma (10% each). Conclusions: Cancer is diagnosed at a relatively younger age in Yemen, especially among females and breast cancer accounts for about a quarter of cases among women. Yemen needs to strengthen regional as well as national cancer registries to determine the burden of cancer in Yemen as a first step for cancer control strategy. Analytical studies are recommended to understand the risk factors and plan prevention and control for the most common cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia and liver cancers.
Keywords: Cancer, Yemen, Incidence, Epidemiology
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