Abstract

Epidemiological Study of Cancers in Iraq-Karbala from 2008 to 2015

Background: Cancer is a common malignant disease that affects a large number of individuals world-wide, including Iraq with a high prevalence and mortality rate. Aim: Investigation for cancers in one of Iraq cities. Methods: A total of 12,000 specimens from patients suspected to have cancer in a Karbala city in Iraq between 2008 and 2015 was histopathologically examined to diagnose various types of cancer diseases. The prevalence, incidence rate, and agespecific rate (ASP) were determined for 838 confirmed positive cases (320 males and 518 females). Results: In males, high prevalence and incidence rate were observed for bladder, gastro-oesophageal (GOC), colorectal, lymphoma, and prostate cancers, while in females, breast, thyroid, lymphoma, colorectal, bladder, and gastro-oesophageal cancers were highest. The prevalence of all types of cancer was higher in females than in males during almost all the survey periods. ASR was observed higher in the older age groups for most patients with cancer. Some cancers were also prevalent at younger ages (≤30 years). Conclusion: The high prevalence and incidence rate of many types of cancer in Karbala were of concern, especially for older age groups. In this survey, bladder cancer in males and breast cancer in females were ranked first in each year.

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