histopathological pattern of lung cancer in Iraq

ABSTRACT

Geographical differences have been observed in the incidence of various histological patterns of lung cancer. Shifts in histological tumor type distribution, chiefly an increase in adenocarcinoma, have been reported to accompany changes in lung cancer incidence in the last two decades in the United States and several other developed countries. No information is available about the frequency of various histological types of lung cancer in Iraqi patients. The aim of this study is to describe the histopathologic pattern of lung cancer in the largest series of Iraqi patients with lung cancer. In the largest series of 63923 Iraqi patients with various types of newly diagnosed cancer registered by the Iraqi Ministry of Health from all Iraqi provinces with the exception of 3 Northern provinces [Sulaimanyia, Erbil, and Dohouk] during five-year period [2000-2004], 5157 cases of lung cancers [4105 males, 1052 females] occurred in accounting for approximately 8% of all cancer cases in Iraq. Lungs and the bronchi were the second most common site of cancer and the first most common site in males. The four commonest histopathological types of lung cancer are Squamous cell carcinoma accounting for 37.6% of the cases, adenocarcinoma accounting for 13% of the cases small cell carcinoma accounting for 8.3% of the cases, and large cell carcinoma accounting for 7% of the cases. The shifts in histological tumor type distribution, chiefly an increase in adenocarcinoma, have been reported to accompany changes in lung cancer incidence in the last two decades in the United States and several other developed countries were not observed in this large sample of Iraqi patients with lung cancer registered during five year period