Geospatial distribution and associated factors of cancer cases registered at a tertiary hospital in Northwestern Tanzania. A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND

Cancer continues to be ranked high in causing mortality and morbidity among non-communicable diseases, being the second to cardiovascular diseases with 10 million deaths annually. This retrospective longitudinal hospital-based study evaluated the records of 3697 cancer patients from January 2019 to December 2021 at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC), a tertiary referral hospital in northwestern Tanzania.

METHODS

We employed a retrospective longitudinal study of cancer patients at BMC (2019-2021) using Mwanza Cancer Registry (MCR) data. Sociodemographic and clinical data were extracted and partially validated. Analyses in Stata v18 included descriptive statistics and modified Poisson regression. Geographic distribution was mapped using QGIS, with clustering assessed via Ripley's K. Ethical approval and confidentiality were maintained.

RESULTS

The Median age was 53 years (IQR: 39-65). The Majority (22%) of the participants were diagnosed with malignant neoplasm of cervix cancer. About (11.2%) of the participants were diagnosed with malignant neoplasm of the prostate. Participants aged 52-68 years had a 54% higher proportion of diagnosed cervix cancer cancer cases (aPR= 1.54, 95% CI = 1.21- 1.78). Participants aged 69-98 years had a 75% higher proportion of diagnosed cervix cancer cancer cases (aPR= 1.75, 95% CI = 1.12- 1.99). Some cancer hotspots prevail in different parts of the Lake Zone.

CONCLUSION

Diagnosed cancer cases in the Lake Zone are unevenly distributed, with some areas presenting more diagnosed patients as compared to others. There are vivid hotspots for different cancer types in different areas of the Lake Zone that can be used for cancer programs in the region. Cervix cancer and prostate cancer were the most common among all patients diagnosed at BMC in the last three years. The burden of cervical cancer is high in the Lake Zone.