Radiotherapy in Cancer Management at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Nigeria. Assessment of Clinical Impact of the New Radiotherapy Facilities

A new Co-60 Teletherapy Machine was commission at the Radiotherapy and Oncology Centre, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Nigeria, in April 2000. A total of three hundred and fifty seven patients, with histologically confirmed malignant tumours, were treated with external beam radiation therapy since commissioning, 36 months ago. There were 91 males and 266 females with malignant tumours, with a male to female ratio of 1:2.9. The ages ranged from 6 to 87 years. The most common malignant tumours treated were cancers of the cervix and head and neck, which accounted for 51% and 19.88% respectively. Cancers of the cervix and breast were however, the most common malignant tumours among the females, with 68.6% and 13.4% respectively, while head and neck cancers were the most common among the males. More radiotherapy centers need to be established in Nigeria, due to the increasing number of patients requiring the facility. Awareness of such centres should be raised among medical practitioners and the populace. Keywords: Cancer Management, Radiation Therapy, Zaria, Nigeria Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol. 45 No 4, 2004.(45 - 48