ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cancer is emerging as a major global health-care system challenge with a growing burden worldwide. Due to the inconsistent cancer registry system in Saudi Arabia, the epidemiology of cancer is still dispersed in the country. Consequently, this review aimed to assemble the epidemiological metrics of cancer in Saudi Arabia in light of the available published data during the period from (2010-2019). METHODS: Published literature from Saudi Arabia relating to cancer incidence, prevalence, risk factors, and other epidemiological metrics were accessed through electronic search in Medline/PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, and public database that meet the inclusion criteria. Relevant keywords were used during the electronic search about different types of cancers in Saudi Arabia. No filters were used during the electronic searches. Data were pooled and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were calculated. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to assess the well-determined risk factors associated with different types of cancers. RESULTS: The most common cancers in Saudi Arabia are breast, colorectal, prostate, brain, lymphoma, kidney and thyroid outnumbering respectively. Their prevalence rates and OR (95%CI) as follow: breast cancer 53% and 0.93 (0.84-1.00); colon-rectal cancer (CRC) 50.9% and 1.2 (0.81-1.77); prostate cancer 42.6% and 3.2 (0.88-31.11); brain/Central Nervous System cancer 9.6% and 2.3 (0.01-4.2); Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 9.2% and 3.02 (1.48-6.17); kidney cancer 4.6% and 2.05 (1.61-2.61), and thyroid cancer 12.9% and 6.77 (2.34-19.53). CONCLUSION: Within the diverse cancers reported from Saudi Arabia, the epidemiology of some cancers magnitude 3-fold in the latest years. This increase might be attributed to the changing in the Saudi population lifestyle (adopting western model), lack of cancer awareness, lack of screening & early detection programs, social barriers toward cancer investigations. Obesity, genetics, sedentary lifestyle, tobacco use, viral infection, and iodine & Vit-D deficiency represent the apparent cancer risk factors in Saudi Arabia.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In recent years, there is an emerging increase in the prevalence of oral and oropharyngeal cancers (O-OPCs) across the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Consequently, this review aimed to explore the epidemiology and possible risk factors of O-OPCs in GCC countries. METHODS: Data published after 2008 related to O-OPCs in GCC countries were obtained through electronic searches in Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE and Google Scholar. Keywords related to the association between O-OPCs metrics (epidemiology and risk factors) and GCC countries were used for electronic searches. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of OPCs increased significantly over time (40-51%) in some countries (Saudi Arabia and Arab Emigrated) of the Gulf regions. The pooled risk factor was 3.4 (2.5 - 4.7). Among the risk factors, human papillomavirus and the use of smoke and smokeless tobacco revealed odds ratio (OR) 3.31 (3.13 - 4.5) and 0.60 (0.45 - 0.80) at 95% confidence interval (CI). CONCLUSION: A positive correlation between factors like age, diet, hygiene, genetics, viral and bacterial infection, consumption of alcohol and tobacco products with OPC-MFC is suggested.
