Cancer Patterns among Patients Admitted to the Oncology Department at Benghazi Medical Center, Libya (2013-2017)

Abstract

Background: Cancer is a major public health problem that faces health managers and decision-makers in many countries. Cancer is constantly growing and is one of the major causes of mortality in Libya. Aim: To estimate the geographical distribution and patterns of cancer among patients admitted to the Oncology Department at Benghazi Medical Center (BMC). Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2019. A total of 4649 patients’ files with a diagnosis of cancer at the BMC were extracted as hard copies due to the absence of electronic medical files. A sampling approach was performed to facilitate the analyses. The sample size was (206) files out of (4649) files, which was determined via a statistical software program (Epi Info7) Data was collected retrospectively from patients’ files; on age, gender, address, and classification of the cancer diagnosis which was made according to (ICD–Oncology) for a specific period (5 years – from January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2017). Results: The results revealed that more than half of the cancer cases admitted to Benghazi Medical Center were from Benghazi City and (52.4%) of cases were females whereas (47.6%) were males, (18.9 %) were (<40y), (49.5 %) were between (40 to 65y), and (31.6%) were > 65y. The most common cancers among females were breast cancer (28.6%) and endometrial cancer (7.3%), whereas among males were colorectal cancer (8.3%), prostate cancer (6.8%), gastrointestinal (6.3%) and lung cancer (6.3%). Conclusion: The most common cancer among women was breast cancer and among men was colorectal and prostate cancer. The majority of cases were from Benghazi. Further studies are required to confirm such results. Educating people about the risk factors that could increase cancer incidence, especially lifestyle, and dietary patterns.