Ovarian cancer in southeastern of Yemen

Introduction: Ovarian cancer is an important cause of mortality in women. The incidence of ovarian cancer and survival rates are still relatively unknown in southeast Yemen. This study takes into account trends in ovarian cancer incidence and survival rates by examining age, histological subtypes, residency, and treatment.

Methods: The National Cancer Center Aden is the premier cancer care transformation center in the southeastern governorates and the source for collecting data on ovarian cancer mortality from 2014-2020 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Database. The age-adjusted incidence rate, the percentage incidence rate, the annual percentage changes (APC) by histopathology and age at diagnosis were calculated. The 5-year survival rates were calculated by stage and treatment.

Results: Mean age at presentation: 48.14 years (SD 15, range 20-79 years); commonest histological sub-type: presentation of OVC types was the Serous cystadenocarcinoma 56(34%); The most frequently seen stage: 4 (53%) of all ovarian cancers), followed by stage 3 (28%). The mortality rate for women with ovarian cancer is slightly higher in the years studied. Mortality was higher during period of the war.

Conclusions: Due to the lack of adequate information on the epidemiological records of ovarian cancer in Yemen, there is an urgent need to carry out a large population study in southeastern Yemen in order to improve the programs of prevention and control of ovarian cancer in the region by the support of Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization.