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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences 2017; 09(02): 37-45
DOI: 10.4103/1947-489X.210108
Article

Cancer incidence in Western Libya: First results from Tripoli medical center

Taha Benyasaad
1   Tripoli Medical Center, Pathology Department, Tripoli, Libya
,
Firvouz Altrjoman
1   Tripoli Medical Center, Pathology Department, Tripoli, Libya
2   University of Tripoli, Faculty of Medicine, Pathology Department, Tripoli, Libya
,
Nabil Enattah
3   Biotechnology Research Center, Genetic Engineering Department, Tripoli, Libya
,
Farag Eltaib
3   Biotechnology Research Center, Genetic Engineering Department, Tripoli, Libya
,
Nureddin Ashammakhi
3   Biotechnology Research Center, Genetic Engineering Department, Tripoli, Libya
4   Libyan Authority for Research, Science and Technology, Tripoli, Libya
,
Adam Elzagheid
3   Biotechnology Research Center, Genetic Engineering Department, Tripoli, Libya
5   University of Benghazi, Faculty of Medicine, Pathology Department, Benghazi, Libya
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Background: Cancer is a major problem and monitoring of its incidence is important. Aim: To estimate cancer incidence in western Libya. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from Tripoli Medical Center during 2008. Classification of cancer diagnosis was made according to the International Classification of Disease. Results: A total of 1051 cancer cases were found (50.1% males and 49.9% females). Age-wise, 31% were younger than 15 years, 64.6% between 15 and 64 years and 4.2% above 64 years old. In females, most common cancers were breast (23.7%), colorectal (9.4%) and uterine (8.6%). In males, they were lung (15.6%), colorectal (12.3%) and prostate (9.9%). In females there were two peaks (in age group 40-44 and in those older than 75). Conclusions: Cancer incidence in western Libya increases with age. Most common cancer in men was lung cancer and in women was breast cancer. Further larger studies are needed to confirm such findings. Public health education, including antismoking and tobacco control, as well as awareness campaigns regarding early detection of cancer are needed to reduce cancer mortality.

Key-words:

Cancer - Western Libya - Lung - Breast - Epidemiology - Cancer incidence


Publication History

Received: 16 October 2016

Accepted: 03 March 2017

Article published online:
07 July 2022

© 2017. The Libyan Authority of Scientific Research and Technologyand the Libyan Biotechnology Research Center. All rights reserved. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License,permitting copying and reproductionso long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, oradapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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