Incidence of cancer esophagus in Quetta and Karachi, Pakistan.
OBJECTIVE
To study the differences in the incidence of cancer esophagus in Karachi and Quetta, Pakistan.


METHODS
Incident cases of cancer esophagus registered from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2000 were included for Karachi South, and those registered from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2000 were included for Karachi Division and Quetta.


RESULTS
In Quetta, cancer esophagus had age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of 25.5/100,000 population in males and 23.4/100,000 population in females, and it was the commonest malignancy in both genders. In comparison, in Karachi South and Karachi Division, cancer esophagus ranked 7th among cancers in males (ASIR 6.2/100,000 and 5.0/100,000 population, respectively) and 5th in females (7.0/100,000 and 4.9/100,000 population, respectively). The ASIR was similar among males and females in all data sets.


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of cancer esophagus in Quetta is comparable to that in high-incidence regions, whereas the incidence in Karachi is similar to that in moderate-incidence zones. In contrast to other world regions, cancer esophagus was equally common in males and females in Pakistan. The high risk in Quetta warrants investigation for risk factors and a targeted cancer control program.
Bhurgri
Yasmin
Y
Karachi Cancer Registry, Department of Pathology, Sindh Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan.
Bhurgri
Asif
A
Hussainy
Akbar Shah
AS
Faridi
Naveen
N
Bhurgri
Hadi
H
Usman
Ahmed
A
Mirza
Jamil
J
Malik
Jawaid
J
Muzaffar
Suhail
S
Kayani
Naila
N
Pervez
Shahid
S
Hasan
Sheema H
SH
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors