PCN212 - PREVALENCE OF CANCER AMONG WOMEN IN A TERTIARY TEACHING HOSPITAL IN LAGOS SOUTHWEST NIGERIA: A PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND EVIDENCE BASED SURVEY

Abstract

Objectives: Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the 21th century. The global burden is estimated at 21.7 million new cases, and13 million deaths annually by 2030. This study assessed the prevalence of cancer among women to generate data for intervention studies, policy, and planning. Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive study. Female cancer patients’ medication records which met the inclusion criteria were randomly selected for inclusion. All eligible 150 patients’ folders with complete medical records for patients who have been treated for more than 12 months and clearly documented in English Language were used. Only eligible folders for patients above 20 years were used for the study. Data was summarized using descriptive statistics of percentage, mean and standard deviation. Differences in more than two means were determined using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The study lasted from July 2016 to September 2016. Results: The age distribution of the patients was 49.22 ±13.56. the age group of 41‐50 years were most affected 51.0 (34.0%) followed by 51‐60 years, 27.0 (18.0%), while the age of 21‐30 years were the least affected 12.0 (8.0%) p ˃0.001. Breast cancer was the most prevalent 104.0 (69.3%), followed by cervical cancer 19.0 (12.7%), nasopharyngeal cancer 9.0 (6.0%), colorectal 7.0 (5.0%), ovarian cancer 7.0 (5.0%), while endometrial cancer was the least prevalent 3.0 (2.0%). Conclusions: The study provides evidence based information on the prevalence of cancer in Nigeria. Breast cancer was the most prevalent among the population. It underscores the need to intensify preventive, treatment and control strategies while promoting intervention studies on the predominant areas.