Abstract

Background: There has been a clear rise in the number of cases and death rates caused by cancer over the past decade in Saudi Arabia. These developments occur alongside substantial changes in the country’s socioeconomic status over the past decade and a shift in population demographics. In spite of these concomitant changes, the majority of Arab countries do not have enough data for trends in cancer among this age group, including Saudi Arabia.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the profile of malignancies between 2007 and 2022 in King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This was a retrospective study in King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It consisted of 6,147 adult patients who received a cancer diagnosis at the study site from 2007 to 2022. The last recorded histology diagnosis information was confirmed from the KAUH pathology unit database.
Results: Women represented 72 per cent of cancer patients, the most frequent cancer was breast (57.1% in women). The most common malignancy in males was colorectal cancer, which composed 27.3% of male cases. Thyroid malignancy was most common in the youngest age category, 18–30 years, while all other malignancies, especially breast cancer, were dominant in the older categories (31–65 years). Among the positive cases, 72% were females; the female-to-male ratio was 2.5:1. Ages of the patients ranged from 18 to 65 years with a mean age of 52.27 ± 9.74 years. The most common malignant diseases were breast cancer (2689: 43.7%), colorectal cancer (867:14.1%), thyroid cancer (365:5.9%), and uterine cancer (286:4.7%). The most common malignancies in women were breast cancer (2531:57.1%), colorectal cancer (398: 9%), malignant neoplasm of uterus and cervix (286:6.4%), thyroid cancer (285:6.4%), and ovarian cancer (142:3.2%). For men, the most common malignancies were colorectal cancer (469:27.3%) and breast cancer (158:9.2%). The relationship between the site of malignancy and gender and age groups was significant.
Conclusion: There is an urgent need for early identification and intervention, especially for breast and colorectal cancers, which are the primary causes of cancer morbidity in Saudi Arabia. Thus, healthcare policy changes are required to successfully manage Saudi Arabia's rising cancer burden.

Key words: Colorectal cancer, breast cancer, Saudi Arabia, cancer.