A descriptive retrospective study of the pattern of malignant diseases in Sokoto, North Western Nigeria (1999-2004)

This study aims to provide baseline data on the frequency, types and characteristics of cancers in an undeserved part of the country for the purposes of research, records and planning. A descriptive, retrospective study of all pathologically-diagnosed cancers in the records of the Histopathology Department of the UDUTH hospital Sokoto, between January 1999 and December 2004. The 913 patients with histologically and/or cytologically diagnosed malignant disease. 17.3% were children below the age of fifteen years. The mean age of patients was 50.6±14.2 and 42.5±16.8 for male and females, respectivety. The most common cancers were cancer of the breast (128 cases). Considered separately, bladder cancer was the most common cancers in males (15.7%) followed by prostate 41 cases (9.9%), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 27 cases (6.5%) and skin 19 cases (4.6%). For females, the cases were topped by breast cancer (25.3%), followed by cervix uteri (14.1%) and ovary (5.6%). Almost hall of the breast cancers were diagnosed in women in the 30-49 years age group, while cervical cancer tended to affect women a decade later. Rates of liver and colon/rectal cancers are low and Kaposi's sarcoma is relatively rare in this series. This study has shown, that there are differences in the patterns and relative frequencies particularly of breast, bladder and cervical cancers in Sokoto compared to other regions of Nigeria and other African countries which warrant further clinico-pathological elucidation.