Prevalence and Pattern of Cancers among Adults Attending a Tertiary Health Institution in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Cancer is an increasingly important public health problem in developing countries including Africa. The burden of cancer in Nigeria is unknown, mainly because of lack of statistics or under reporting. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence and pattern of cancer distribution among patients attending the hospital and comparing with existing data. This is a descriptive cross sectional study conducted among Cancer patients who attended the Oncology clinic of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital over the period between 2005 and 2011 and incidence rates were calculated. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the institution. From the cancer registry of the institution, it was reported that 1315 cancer cases was recorded between 2005 and 2011; Male cancers accounted for 14.1% while female cancers was 85.9%. Following the statistical analysis, it was found that Breast cancer topped the incidence chart with 974 patients (74.75%). This was followed by colorectal Cancer and Prostate; Then, Ovarian, Bone, Occular, Endometrial, Lung, Nasopharyngeal, Gastric, bladder, parotid, oral and maxillary cancers in that order. The broader outlook of this global burden ignites a drive towards intensive research aimed at reducing the current morbidity & mortality statistic from this debilitating disease.