Cancer profile in the Department of Pathology of Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Kolar: a ten years study.

CONTEXT

Cancer profile varies in different regions and depends on race, lifestyle and diet. The study of a cancer profile helps to know the common cancers in a particular population, its probable risk factors and also helps in cancer control programs.

AIM

To study the cancer profile at Kolar, based on Pathology Department records.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN

Retrospective study from January 1997 to December 2006.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cancer cases diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and histopathology in the Department of Pathology were included in the study. The relevant history, clinical findings, and sociodemographic information of each case was retrieved from hospital records.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED

Descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Out of a total of 19,615 cases reported at the Department of Pathology, 2,744 (13.98%) were cancer cases. The peak incidence was in the fifth decade in females and the seventh decade in males. Male : Female ratio was 0.7 : 1. Overall there was a steady rise in the number of cases from year 1997 to 2006. The top ten cancers in males were of oral cavity, stomach, esophagus, bone, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), prostate, liver, larynx, penis, and Hodgkin's disease / bladder and those in females were oral cavity, cervix, breast, stomach, esophagus, thyroid, ovary, bone, rectum, and melanoma.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral cavity and upper gastrointestinal cancers predominated in both genders. In females, cervical cancer predominated over breast cancer. Thyroid cancers were relatively more common in this region especially in females.