Cancer Distribution in an Oncology Outpatient Clinic in Eastern Türkiye: A 1-Year Retrospective Study

Abstract

Objective: Cancer epidemiology may exhibit regional variations depending on geographical, environmental, and sociocultural factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sex distribution and cancer diagnoses of patients admitted to the Van province region and to compare the findings with current national and international literature. Methods: This study was designed as a single-center, retrospective, and descriptive study. A total of 728 patients who were admitted to the Medical Oncology Outpatient Clinic of Van Training and Research Hospital between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, and whose malignancy diagnoses were histopathologically confirmed were included. Patient sex and cancer diagnoses were obtained from hospital records. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and categorical variables were presented as numbers (n) and percentages (%). Results: Of the 728 patients included in the study, 387 (53.2%) were female and 341 (46.8%) were male. The most common cancer diagnoses were breast cancer (21.2%), gastric cancer (19.4%), esophageal cancer (10.7%), lung cancer (8.5%), and colorectal cancer (6.5%). Upper gastrointestinal system cancers, specifically gastric and esophageal malignancies, combined to constitute nearly one-third (30.1%) of the total patient population. Sex-specific analysis revealed a strong female predominance in breast cancer (97.4%), male predominance in gastric and lung cancers, and a nearly equal sex distribution in esophageal cancer. Conclusions: Female patients predominated slightly, and the incidence of gastric and esophageal cancers was significantly higher than reported in the literature. These findings suggest that regional environmental, dietary, and sociocultural factors play a critical role in shaping cancer distribution across the Eastern Anatolia region.