Pattern and distribution of cancers in areas of Iraq exposed to Depleted Uranium

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionCancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide. Health systems whether in developed or in developing countries like Iraq are burdened with different programs to control cancer. Our study is intended to provide information about cancer in the region of Middle Euphrates Area (MEA) of Iraq, which is one of the major areas in Iraq that exposed to the depleted Uranium (DU) at different time periods. Therefore, we are aiming to explore more information about the behavior of cancers in this region of Iraq (pattern and distribution).Aim: our study aims to describe the landscape of cancer with wide focus on the clinicopathological behavior of different types of cancers in MEA of Iraq to determine whether any differences have cropped up over time in Iraqi patients’ presentations.Patients and methodsThis study is a retrospective descriptive study design. Data were collected from a single tertiary cancer care oncology centre for three consecutive years from 2016 up to 2018. This Database covers nearly the entire Middle Euphrates area of Iraq. All statistical tests performed at a 95% level of significance with a two-sided p-value of 0.05 indicating statistical significance.Results and conclusionAccording to this study, the three most common cancers among the entire population were breast, lung, and brain cancers. Females constituted 57.0% of the entire study. Most cancers including breast cancer presented with aggressive clinicopathological behavior. Middle age groups of both sexes are more at risk of developing different cancers. Such findings are important and pave the way for future scientific cancer control programs in Iraq especially for breast cancer. The cancer appears to be flourishing in Iraq, which could be due to multiple factors. Finding a new strategy to predict the treatment response, recurrence or aggressiveness of cancers in Iraq is crucial.Summary (Strengths and limitations of this study)Whats new in this study is the wide focus of studying the clinicopathological behavior of all cancers in middle Euphrates area of Iraq to establish a solid base for further future studies that aims at developing the health system and cancer control programs in Iraq and middle east. The area of middle and south of Iraq which is named the middle Euphrates area is an area of major interest for researchers and clinicians as the cancer is flourishing in this area. previous studies excuse this increase of cancer incidence to the exposure to cancerous agents like depleted uranium. This fact inspired us to explore more information about the behavior of cancer in Iraq. The limitations of this study are the lack of therapy and survival data that we hope to include them in future studies.