Cancer is a significant public health concern globally, with its impact growing in low- and middle-income countries. Several factors influence the increasing rate of morbidity and mortality due to cancer. The study therefore, was a socio-demographic profile of cancer cases at a tertiary hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, to comprehensively examine the occurrence of cancer cases in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Data were collected over a 6-month period from patients diagnosed with cancer at the hospital. Demographic information and the clinical syndromes associated with the various cancer types were systematically obtained from the patients using well-structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and relevant analytical methods were employed to provide insights into the burden and distribution of cancer cases. From the study, the prevalence was higher among patients between the ages of 40-69 (71.4%), while patients between the ages 19-39 (14.3%) recorded the lowest prevalence. Higher prevalence was however reported among the female cases (81.8%) than the male cases (18.2%). Data showed breast cancer emerged as the leading cancer type (61.4%), followed by ovarian cancer (9.1%), skin cancer (8.0%), cervical and lung cancer (5.7%), and liver cancer (1.1%). Results also showed that cancer was more prevalent among those in business (46.6%) followed by civil servants (37.5%) and least among clergymen (1.1%). Prevalence based on treatment type showed that patients exposed to chemotherapy (68.2%) were more than those on non-chemotherapy (31.8%). The distribution of cancer types exhibited notable diversity, encompassing various organ systems. This study therefore underscored the importance of surveillance and research efforts to better understand the epidemiological landscape of cancer in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The results will thus serve as a foundation for the formulation of evidence-based strategies for cancer prevention, early diagnosis, and management. Regular screening is hereby recommended to prevent the incidence of malignant cancer .

Keywords: Cancer; Prevalence; Public Health; Socio-Demographic; Tertiary Hospital

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Citation

Citation: Sampson T., et al. “Socio-Demographic Profile of Cancer Cases at a Tertiary Hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria”.Acta Scientific Cancer Biology 7.9 (2023): 09-14.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Sampson T., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.