FREQUENCY OF CANCER CASES AT THE DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY PUMHS-W, NAWABSHAH. SIND.A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL BASED DATA; 2015-2019

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study was conducted with the aim to assess the burden of cancer in

Nawabshah, a city of interior Sind with a tertiary care hospital working since 1974, now

upgraded to the University as PUMHS-W in 2012.The tumor registry established and working

in big cities of Pakistan but cancer data for a large number of cities are still not published. The

data presented here is recorded from Department of Pathology PUMHS –W from year 1st

January 2017 to 31st December 2019. METHODOLOGY: This is a cross-sectional,

descriptive study of the cancer patients including both genders divided into five age groups to

determine frequencies of different type of cancers recorded at this Institute from 1st January

2015 to 31 December 2019. After the written permission from ethical Review Committee, all

the cancer cases recorded after Histopathological examination of biopsies received at the

department of Pathology from 2015-2019 were entered in excel sheets after confirmation from

computer data. All the variables/demographic details available like age, sex were entered and

analyzed by SPSS version 20 for this cross sectional descriptive study.RESULTS: A total of

1406 cancer patients were registered and diagnosed at The Department of Pathology, PUMHSW during the three year period. Female cancers are accounted as 54% and male cancers are

46%. The median ages at presentation were 45.5 years for female and 48.6 years with

SD17±45 for both sex. The most commonly involved age group is 16-30 years 33.7% and least

common group was above 80 years 1%.The organ system involved more frequently by cancer

are head and neck 25%, genital system18% for female and 12% for male and gastrointestinal

tract 15% respectively. In females the 3 most frequent malignancies were cancers of female

genital tract17.8%, head n neck 12%, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) 9%. In males Head n neck

cancer was the most common cancer accounting for 13%followed by male genital system

11.7% and gastrointestinal tract 6% respectively. CONCLUSION: The cancer incidence was

higher in adult female than in male, but it was lower in old age. Among women, Ovarian and

cervical cancer, and prostate cancer in male, were the leading cancer types of middle age

group. These results can be helpful for the expansion of health coverage in the country

including low cost set-up for diagnostic procedures for early detection of cancers.