Morphologic variations of malignancies in relation to age, sex and histologic type

ABSTRACT

Regional differences in the pattern of cancer are obvious in Saudi Arabia. From January 2003 to December 2005 1106 new cases of cancer [642 males, 464 females] were diagnosed in Al-Qassim region. Overall lymphomas, non-Hodgkin's and Hodgkin's disease combined were the most common malignancy seen [15.10%], followed by esophageal carcinoma [7.77%]. Thyroid cancer was the most common malignancy among females [12.5%], followed by breast cancer [9.48%]. The majority of the patients were in the younger age group [77% were < 50 years of age]. Among the hematological malignancies, acute lymphoblastic leukemia was the most frequent type [36.23%]. Lymphomas were also the most common malignancy [66.12%] seen in the pediatric age group [0-14 years], followed by leukemias and brain tumours. The pattern of cancer in Al-Qassim region is generally similar to other regions of Saudi Arabia, with few regional variations. Prominent among such variations is the high frequency of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL], esophageal and thyroid carinomas