Cancer in Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia: a retrospective study [1987-1995]

ABSTRACT

Regional differences in the pattern of cancer are obvious in Saudi Arabia. From January 1987 to December 1995, 1106 new cases of cancer [642 males, 464 females] were seen at the King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Buraidah, Al-Qassim. 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 [12.50%], 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 the most common malignancy [66.12%] seen in the pediatric age group [0-14 years], followed by leukemias and brain tumors. The pattern of cancer in Al-Qassim 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 lymphomas [NHL], esophageal and thyroid carcinomas