Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of the National Medical Association logoLink to Journal of the National Medical Association
. 1999 Mar;91(3):159–164.

Increased incidence of prostate cancer in Nigerians.

J O Ogunbiyi 1, O B Shittu 1
PMCID: PMC2608450  PMID: 10203918

Abstract

An increased incidence of prostate cancer among African-American men (now the second most common cause of cancer death) has been attributed mainly to the introduction of screening techniques, which have enabled earlier diagnosis of patients. This study reviewed male cancer patients recorded in a Nigerian cancer registry to assess the current trends in prostate cancer in Nigeria. For comparison, data were broken into two groups: 1980-1988 and 1989-1996. Only the top 10 cancers occurring in both periods were considered initially in this report. For emphasis, an analysis of adult male cancers was done per decade since 1960. Results show that prostate cancer has become the number one cancer in Nigerian men and constitutes 11% of all male cancers. The median age of patients was 67.5 years (variance 5.6), and the mean age was 71.4 years (variance 14.3). These results indicate that despite the absence of screening programs in Nigeria, the number of prostate cancer cases has increased. The known risk factors probably contribute to a varying degree among Nigerians, who are generally of average build or in the low-normal range for body mass index. Moreover, the role of genetics cannot be underplayed. Given its biological characteristics, more cases of prostate cancer probably would be recorded among this population if screening were undertaken.

Full text

PDF
159

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Adetuyibi A., Akisanya J. B., Onadeko B. O. Analysis of the causes of death on the medical wards of the University College Hospital, Ibadan over a 14-year period (1960-1973). Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1976;70(5-6):466–473. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(76)90131-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Akhtar S. S., Abu Bakr M. A., Dawi S. A., Huq I. U. Cancer in Libya--a retrospective study (1981-1985). Afr J Med Med Sci. 1993 Mar;22(1):17–24. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Angwafo F. F., Yomi J., Mbakop A. Is cancer of the prostate rare in tropical (black) Africa? Case series from the Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire and the Hospital General de Yaounde from 1986 to 1990. Bull Cancer Radiother. 1994;81(2):155–159. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Armstrong B., Doll R. Environmental factors and cancer incidence and mortality in different countries, with special reference to dietary practices. Int J Cancer. 1975 Apr 15;15(4):617–631. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910150411. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Baquet C. R., Horm J. W., Gibbs T., Greenwald P. Socioeconomic factors and cancer incidence among blacks and whites. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1991 Apr 17;83(8):551–557. doi: 10.1093/jnci/83.8.551. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Boring C. C., Squires T. S., Health C. W., Jr Cancer statistics for African Americans. CA Cancer J Clin. 1992 Jan-Feb;42(1):7–17. doi: 10.3322/canjclin.42.1.7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Carter B. S., Beaty T. H., Steinberg G. D., Childs B., Walsh P. C. Mendelian inheritance of familial prostate cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Apr 15;89(8):3367–3371. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.8.3367. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Carter B. S., Bova G. S., Beaty T. H., Steinberg G. D., Childs B., Isaacs W. B., Walsh P. C. Hereditary prostate cancer: epidemiologic and clinical features. J Urol. 1993 Sep;150(3):797–802. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)35617-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Prevalence of selected risk factors for chronic disease by education level in racial/ethnic populations--United States, 1991-1992. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1994 Dec 9;43(48):894–899. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Grönberg H., Damber L., Damber J. E. Familial prostate cancer in Sweden. A nationwide register cohort study. Cancer. 1996 Jan 1;77(1):138–143. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0142(19960101)77:1<138::AID-CNCR23>3.0.CO;2-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Grönberg H., Damber L., Damber J. E. Studies of genetic factors in prostate cancer in a twin population. J Urol. 1994 Nov;152(5 Pt 1):1484–1489. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)32452-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Haas G. P., Sakr W. A. Epidemiology of prostate cancer. CA Cancer J Clin. 1997 Sep-Oct;47(5):273–287. doi: 10.3322/canjclin.47.5.273. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Isaacs S. D., Kiemeney L. A., Baffoe-Bonnie A., Beaty T. H., Walsh P. C. Risk of cancer in relatives of prostate cancer probands. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1995 Jul 5;87(13):991–996. doi: 10.1093/jnci/87.13.991. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Junaid T. A. Mortality in middle-aged Nigerians: an autopsy study. Trop Geogr Med. 1979 Sep;31(3):389–394. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kaufman J. S., Owoaje E. E., James S. A., Rotimi C. N., Cooper R. S. Determinants of hypertension in West Africa: contribution of anthropometric and dietary factors to urban-rural and socioeconomic gradients. Am J Epidemiol. 1996 Jun 15;143(12):1203–1218. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a008708. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Neuhausen S. L., Skolnick M. H., Cannon-Albright L. Familial prostate cancer studies in Utah. Br J Urol. 1997 Mar;79 (Suppl 1):15–20. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410x.1997.tb00796.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nkposong E. O., Lawani J. Primary carcinoma of the prostate in Ibadan. West Afr Med J Niger Med Dent Pract. 1973 Dec;22(6):108–111. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Osegbe D. N. Prostate cancer in Nigerians: facts and nonfacts. J Urol. 1997 Apr;157(4):1340–1343. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Parker S. L., Davis K. J., Wingo P. A., Ries L. A., Heath C. W., Jr Cancer statistics by race and ethnicity. CA Cancer J Clin. 1998 Jan-Feb;48(1):31–48. doi: 10.3322/canjclin.48.1.31. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Parker S. L., Tong T., Bolden S., Wingo P. A. Cancer statistics, 1997. CA Cancer J Clin. 1997 Jan-Feb;47(1):5–27. doi: 10.3322/canjclin.47.1.5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Pienta K. J., Esper P. S. Risk factors for prostate cancer. Ann Intern Med. 1993 May 15;118(10):793–803. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-118-10-199305150-00007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Potosky A. L., Miller B. A., Albertsen P. C., Kramer B. S. The role of increasing detection in the rising incidence of prostate cancer. JAMA. 1995 Feb 15;273(7):548–552. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Ross R., Bernstein L., Judd H., Hanisch R., Pike M., Henderson B. Serum testosterone levels in healthy young black and white men. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1986 Jan;76(1):45–48. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sakr W. A., Haas G. P., Cassin B. F., Pontes J. E., Crissman J. D. The frequency of carcinoma and intraepithelial neoplasia of the prostate in young male patients. J Urol. 1993 Aug;150(2 Pt 1):379–385. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)35487-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Steinberg G. D., Carter B. S., Beaty T. H., Childs B., Walsh P. C. Family history and the risk of prostate cancer. Prostate. 1990;17(4):337–347. doi: 10.1002/pros.2990170409. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of the National Medical Association are provided here courtesy of National Medical Association

RESOURCES