LUNG-CANCER AT THE UNIVERSITY-COLLEGE HOSPITAL, IBADAN, NIGERIA

A 30-year retrospective review of Eases of lung cancer from the Cancer Registry of the University College Hospital(UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria was carried out. A total of 142 cases were analysed with a male:female ra tio of 1.7:1. Peak age incidence in females was 2 decades (4th) earlie r than for males. Squamous cell carcinoma was found most commonly but adenocarcinoma predominated in females, Mucoepidermoid and adenoidcyst ic carcinomas were absent, About 27% of patients were under 40 years o ld and the majority of these (82%) showed histological variants which are associated with the bad prognosis (i.e. anaplastic carcinoma, aden ocarcinoma, small cell tumours and sarcomas, At autopsy regional lymph nodes were found to be most commonly involved by secondary metastases while the spinal cord was least involved. The epidemiology of maligna nt lung rumours in Ibadan probably differs from that in the more indus trialized countries and this suggests a different view of risk factors for this environment. Additionally there is an urgent need for develo ping methods for earlier diagnosis if the mortality associated with th is disease is to be reduced especially as it occurs predominantly in y oung people.