Pilot study on the Locoregional demographics of prostate cancer in River State, Nigeria.

Background: The aetiology of prostate cancer is a subject of intense research and has been attributed to several risk factors. Geographical variations have also been observed with high incidence in western countries and rising rates in developing countries. This study aims to evaluate the locoregional distribution of histologically confirmed prostate cancer patients and discuss the risk factors for the observed variations according to their Local Government Areas (LGA) in Rivers State.

Methodology: This is a descriptive retrospective study on patients with histologically confirmed prostate cancer from three hospitals that take urology referrals over 10years. The patient’s hospital records were obtained, and records of their ages, permanent place of residence, prostate biopsy histopathology reports, and Gleason’s scores were extracted. These data were collated and analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Results: There were 278 patients managed over a 10year period with a mean age of 68.39years+_10.06. Prostate cancer was the commonest in the 60-69year age group (37.1%), followed by the 70-79year range. The high-risk, poorly differentiated cancer (Gleason 8-10; ISUP 4,5) was the commonest, followed by the intermediate-risk cancers (Gleason 7; ISUP 2,3). Port Harcourt (41.0%) and Obia Akpo (36.0%) Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Port Harcourt City had the highest frequencies of prostate cancer. There was no relationship between age and Gleason’s score in the men.

Conclusion: Prostate cancer appears more common in the LGAs in Port Harcourt City compared to the semi-urban and rural LGAs in Rivers State. High-grade cancers are more frequent both in rural and urban LGA. High Gleason score cancers appear more frequently in the metropolitan Port Harcourt City than in rural LGAs.