Cancers in Red Sea State, Sudan: A Decade of Incidence, Distribution and Trends: Estimates for (2016 - June 2025)

Abstract

Cancer incidence refers to the rate at which new cancer cases occur in specific population over a defined period, it is a key measure for understanding the burden of cancer and tracking trends in cancer occurrence. These are is generally regarded as an important measure for public health planning, monitoring trends and researches and resource allocation purposes. The number of new cases in a year is an indicator of the need for resources for diagnostic investigations and first-line treatment. While the prevalence of cancer in a population, the number or proportion of people alive at a specific date who have been diagnosed with cancer prior to that date. The annual number of cancer deaths is an indicator of the need for resources for palliation and terminal care. However, data on prevalence, which is generally regarded as an important measure for health planning and resource allocation, are relatively scarce.

Materials and Methods: This review is the first papers that focuses up-to-date on adult cancer, its distribution, trend and cancer Prevalence in Red Sea State (RSS) at Eastern Sudan, based upon, registry data of Port Sudan Oncology Centre (POC) results in a period between 2016 up to thirty of June 2025. These reviews are meant to provide a better understanding and knowledge required to plan appropriate cancer-control and prevention strategies in this state, and whole country. this paper provided cancer statistics of 3265 patients registered from all districts of Red Sea State diagnosed at the (POC). This Centre established in 2016 to covers approximately all adult patients with cancer in this state, therefore, it considered representative for the cancer situation in this state, to develop a system that will facilitate creation and maintenance of local and regional data and assemble these data into a single centrally accessible system. Also, this study has reviewed and addressed the impact of war conflict setting of Sudan in April 2023 and the displacement of patients with cancer, where access to healthcare and resources of cancer management is disrupted in many affected states and the changes in statistic measures made by displacement of patients with cancer from war conflict-affected states to POC. Cancer diagnoses were made by standard clinical, pathological and radiological methods. Epidemiological data were categorized by age, gender, resident state, marital status etc. and subjected to statistical analyses by SPSS.

Population Data: Red Sea State is one of 18 states of Sudan, it lies at eastern of the country, bordering the Red Sea, and has an area of 212,800 km2 and an estimated urban/rural population of approximately 1482,053. The sex ratio are slightly more females than males with sex ratio of approximately 98.34 male per 100 females, (Sudan demographics 2024- Statistics Times.com) Port-Sudan is the capital of the state. The original inhabitants of the state are Beja people, tribes who constitute above 60% of current population.

Results: The cancer prevalence rate per year was 300-350 among adult patients, female were more affected than male. The five most common tumour types in both sexes were breast cancer, leukemia, head and neck tumours, prostatic carcinoma, and esophageal cancer.

Remarkably, most of the patients was in the age period (59-78) years, regarding ethnic varsities (49,8%) of patients were descendants of Bni aamer tribes, (22.3%) of patients from Northern Sudan, and (19.0%) were Hadandawa tribe. Most of the patients (84,6%) lived in Port Sudan, the capital of the state.

Conclusion: This is the largest survey on cancer burden in Red Sea State. It may serve as basis for local governmental programs for assessing risk factors, improving cancer prevention (e.g. by educational and vaccination programs) and cancer therapy in the future.