Institution based tumor registry from Punjab: five year data based analysis

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Pakistan lacks comprehensive population-based cancer registries, with no recent data from Punjab.
• Existing registries like the Karachi Cancer Registry (KCR) have limitations.
• This study addresses the data gap for cancer incidence in Punjab.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze cancer frequencies in Punjab.
• To provide data for future health planning and research.
• To identify common cancers in males and females in the region.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 5100 cancer patients from Jinnah Hospital (1997-2001).
• Data collected included demographics, symptom duration, and disease stage.
• Cancers were coded using the International Classification of Disease-oncology (ICD-10).

Main Results:

• Female cancers (52.2%) were slightly more prevalent than male cancers (47.7%).
• In males, leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and lung cancer were most frequent.
• In females, breast cancer (38.5%) and ovarian cancer (13.6%) were the most common.

Conclusions:

• Hematological malignancies are the leading cancers in males in Punjab, followed by lung and colorectal cancer.
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females, followed by ovarian cancer.
• Gallbladder cancer appears more frequent in women, while cervical cancer is less common; data aids health planning.