Epidemiology and Risk Factor of Lung Cancer in Morocco

Abstract

The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiological characteristics of lung cancer in Morocco. This is a descriptive retrospective analysis of lung cancer cases, diagnosed and treated at Al Azhar Oncology Center in Rabat over a period of 11 years, between 2005 and 2015. Among the 615 cases that were diagnosed with lung cancer at Al Azhar Oncology Center, 85.85% were male and 14.15% female, the mean age of men with lung cancer was 59.8 ± 11.2 years while that of women was 58.6 ± 12 years. During the study period, there were 129 deaths from this type of cancer, of which 89.9% were men and 10.08% were women. The maximum frequency of death was observed in patients aged between 40 and 60 years with 54.80%. Of all diagnosed cases, 2.40% were diagnosed with metastatic disease. The majority of patients received chemotherapy treatment with 47%, followed by patients who received radiotherapy with 42.3%. On the other hand, the study shows that there is an association between the risk of progression to death and smoking. Lung cancer is dreaded especially in the male population with a high number of cases and lethality as well as a poor prognosis.