Malignant tumours at Yirga Alem Hospital

A ten year (January 1986 to December 1995) retrospective analysis of biopsy results of patients seen at Yirga Alem Hospital was conducted. There were 841 histologically certified cancers (410 males and 431 females). The mean and the median ages were 42.1 and 42 years, respectively. Skin and lymphoreticular cancers were the commonest in males while cervical cancer was by far the commonest in females followed by skin, breast and ovarian cancers. In the paediatric age group, soft tissue sarcoma occurred most often followed by retinoblastoma and lymphoma. The results of the study were similar to that of previous studies done in Ethiopia. The biases that might have influenced the results of the study are discussed. A hospital cancer registry is recommended to generate more reliable data.