WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

*Obiorah Christopher Chinedu and Sapira Monday Komene

ABSTRACT

Background: Cancer is a public health menace and has high morbidity and mortality rate in Nigeria. Socio-demographic features of affected victims are pertinent to the formulation of effective cancer control programmes. Objective: To determine the relationship between selected socio-demographic features and cancer in Port Harcourt and its environs. Materials and Method: Port Harcourt cancer registry data from 2008 to 2017 were reviewed for socio-demographic variables of cancer patients. Information on dates of incidence, level of education, occupation, place of domicile, ethnicity, gender, age, topography of cancer, morphology and the degree of differentiation were retrieved. Cases were coded using the International Classification of Disease for Oncology, 3rd Edition (ICD-O3) and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Chi-Square test statistics with p-value of breast > prostate > cervical > leukemia > lymphoma > ovary. Prostate (676cases) and breast (741cases) were most common among males and females respectively. Sixty three and a half percent (63.5%) were older than 45 years while 32.5% were 45 years and younger. Patients native to the indigenous ethnic groups of Rivers State were in majority - 51.6%. Ibos constituted - 33.7% while Hausa and other northern ethnicities constituted 9.7%. The Yorubas made up 5.1%. Self-employed patients constituted 35.2%, 28.2% were civil servants while 21.7% were retired from active service and 6.9% were students. Majority of the patients - 54.9% attained tertiary level of education while those without formal education constituted 3.2%. Majority - 67.6% were urban dwellers while 32.4% were rural dwellers. Conclusion: A statistically significant difference (p= 0.00) was found between socio-demographic variables and cancers. Overall, the educated, urban dweller who actively contributes to the economy by way of occupation is more predisposed to cancer than the uneducated rural dweller. Cancer intervention programs should therefore take cognizance of the socio-demographic factors for proper planning of intervention programmes in our environment.

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