Epidemiology of prostate cancer in United Arab Emirates

To evaluate the magnitude of prostate cancer in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A descriptive retrospective study.

Tawam and Al-Ain Teaching Hospitals, Al-Ain Medical District, UAE.

Analysis based on patient admissions into the main referral teaching hospital, categorizing age, nationality groups and type of cancer. All prostate cancer patients, diagnosed and treated at Tawam and Al-Ain Hospitals during the period from 1982 to 2000, are included in the study and consisted of 84 subjects.

The study series consisted of 84 patients with the ages ranging from 38 to 81 years with a median age of 56 years and a mean and standard deviation of 56.5 +/- 12.5 years. The study revealed that majority of the patients (n = 33, 39.2%) were diagnosed between 51 to 60 years of age. The majority of our patients were UAE nationals (44.0%), followed by patients from neighboring countries i.e. Oman, Yemen, Syria, Jordan and Egypt (40.5%). The initial pathological diagnosis was confirmed mainly by Trucut Needle Biopsy in the majority of patients (n = 48, 57%), TURP (n = 15, 18%), Open Prostatectomy (n = 4, 5%) and others i.e. lymph node, bone marrow, and pleural biopsies and high PSA (n = 17, 20%). The majority of our patients (77.7%) presented with an advanced disease and received hormonal treatment while 16.6% received radical radiotherapy and 5.5% had radical prostatectomy. According to our analysis the annual incidence of prostate cancer is 4.5/100,000 male population.

The prevalence of prostatic carcinoma in the UAE, like other Arabian Gulf and Asian countries, is very low compared to Western Countries despite the high intake of calories and consumption of animal fat. However, genetics and environmental factors believed to be involved in the complex etiology of prostate cancer in UAE are not clear yet, and awaiting investigation.