title: Pattern of Cancers Treated with Radiotherapy in Uduth Sokoto: A New Center Experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cancer is a leading public health problem worldwide. In many developing countries, cancer tends to present in predominantly advanced stages, to a certain extent due to lack of comprehensive screening and poor access to efficient management. This study was carried out to describe the pattern of cancers managed in the Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, North-western Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving patients with malignancies that attended the new Oncology Department of the Usman Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, North-West Nigeria for the period of one year (June 2013 - May 2014). The data was analyzed using SPSS (versions 20).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 210 patients with complete records met the criteria for the study. Majority 162 (77.1%) were females with a mean age of 45.68±12.4 years. The male patients were 48 (22.9%) with mean age 46.27±16.5. The spectrum of malignant lesions observed were cancer of the cervix 77 (36.67%), breast cancer 74 (35.24%), nasopharyngeal cancer 20 (9.52%), cancer of the larynx 18 (8.57%) and rectal cancer 14 (6.67%). Late presentation was most common with 6 (3%), 101 (49.8%) and 58 (28.6%) patients presenting at stage I, III and IV, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study demonstrates that Cancer of the cervix is the leading malignancy in the study population.
authors.affiliation: Head of Department/Consultant Clinical, Departments of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital , Sokoto, Nigeria .
authors.forename: Usman M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Aliyu
authors.affiliation: Lecturer/Faculty Examinations Officer, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Health Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University , Sokoto, Nigeria .
authors.forename: Abdulgafar O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Jimoh
authors.affiliation: Lecturer, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Health Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University , Sokoto, Nigeria .
authors.forename: Abdulmajeed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yunusa
authors.affiliation: Lecturer/Consultant Histopathologist, Department of Morbid Anatomy & Forensic Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University , Sokoto, Nigeria .
authors.forename: Moh'd
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Umar
keywords: Late presentation; Oncology; Sokoto nigeria