Regional Variation of Pancreatic Cancer Incidence in the Nile Delta Region of Egypt over a Twelve-Year Period.

Christina Baum,Amr S Soliman,An Nguyen,Heidi E Brown,Ibrahim A Seifeldin,Ahmed Hablas,Ahmed El-Ghawalby,Mohamed Ramadan,Breanne Lott

doi:10.1155/2020/6031708

Abstract

Background Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with incidence rates rising in many countries around the world. Geographic variation in pancreatic cancer incidence has not been studied extensively, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to characterize the distribution of pancreatic cancer incidence in the central Nile Delta region of Egypt and to examine differences by urban and rural patient residence using the nation's only population-based cancer registry. Methods Utilizing the Gharbiah province population-based cancer registry, data were abstracted for 1,089 pancreatic cancer cases diagnosed over twelve years from 1999 to 2010. Age- and sex-specific incidence rates were calculated and compared for urban and rural areas of the eight districts of Gharbiah. Results Age-adjusted incidence of pancreatic cancer within Gharbiah varied considerably by urban/rural patient residence and by district. Incidence rates were 1.3 times higher in urban compared to rural areas (4.45 per 100,000 in urban areas and 3.43 per 100,000 in rural areas). The highest incidence rates were observed in urban centers of Kotour, El Santa, and Kafr El-Zayat districts (12.94, 8.32, and 7.89, respectively). Conclusion Incidence rates varied greatly by urban and rural areas and by district of residence in the Nile Delta region of Egypt. Future studies should examine potential environmental risk factors that may contribute to the geographic distribution of pancreatic cancer in this region.

Highlights

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, causing an estimated 432,000 deaths worldwide each year [1]
Little is known regarding the etiology of pancreatic cancer, but cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, exposure to occupational and environmental contamination, alcohol consumption, and genetics have been implicated as risk factors [5,6,7,8,9,10,11]
These findings are in concordance with two studies conducted in China which demonstrated that pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality rates are higher in urban compared to rural areas [28, 29]

Summary

Introduction

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, causing an estimated 432,000 deaths worldwide each year [1]. Most cases are diagnosed in developed regions of the world, as defined by use of the Human Development Index and Gross Domestic Product, accounting for 55% of worldwide incidence [3] Both incidence and mortality rates are increasing in less developed countries [3]. The aim of this study was to characterize the distribution of pancreatic cancer incidence in the central Nile Delta region of Egypt and to examine differences by urban and rural patient residence using the nation’s only population-based cancer registry. Age-adjusted incidence of pancreatic cancer within Gharbiah varied considerably by urban/rural patient residence and by district. Incidence rates varied greatly by urban and rural areas and by district of residence in the Nile Delta region of Egypt. Future studies should examine potential environmental risk factors that may contribute to the geographic distribution of pancreatic cancer in this region

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