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Description of age, sex and site distribution of large bowel cancer in the middle belt of Nigeria


BM Mandong
AZ Sule

Abstract

Aims/Objective: To determine the distribution of bowel cancer with special emphasis on age, sex and site.


Methods: One hundred and sixty cases of histologically confirmed large bowel cancers at Jos University Teaching Hospital between January 1991 – December 2000 were reviewed. The records were collected from the registry of histopathology laboratory. Information regarding sex, age and site of cancers in the large bowel were extracted from referral forms and case notes.


Results: the cancers occurred more commonly between the ages of 31 and 60 years. The site distribution showed that more men were affected than women. The rectum was the commonest site, which accounted for 56.9% followed by colon 32%, caecum 8% and anal canal 3%. The colonic cancers were more common in female than male, accounting for 56.9% and 43.1% respectively. Adenocarcinoma was the commonest histological type occurring in 90 percent of cases. None of the resected specimens could reveal a case of familial polyposis. Two cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were recorded and one was in the youngest patient aged 10 years. There were histological evidence of schistosomiasis in two caecal and one rectal adenocarcinoma in this series.


Conclusion: this stuffy showed that bowel cancers are not rare as previously believed. The patients also present at a younger age in our population. Routine screening for bowel cancer in all risk patients should be carried out regularly so as to detect cancer early.


Key Words: Cancer, large bowel, middle belt, Nigeria


Nigerian Journal of Surgical Research Vol.5(1&2) 2003: 80-84

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eISSN: 1595-1103