Palestinian Patients With Cancer at the King Hussein Cancer Center

Abstract PURPOSE: The Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) routinely refers Palestinian patients with cancer to the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), the largest cancer center in the Middle East. Our aim was to describe the characteristics of these patients.PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of all Palestinian patients with cancer who were treated at the KHCC during 2018 and 2019. We retrieved data from the Cancer Registry and described the demographic and clinical characteristics of the cohort.RESULTS: Out of 521 Palestinian patients, we excluded 41 patients who were misdiagnosed and included the remaining 480. Most patients were adults (n = 426, 88.8%). The most common cancer sites in men (n = 200) were the hematolymphoid system (n = 47, 23.5%), followed by the digestive system (n = 35, 17.5%), and lung and pleura (n = 23, 11.5%). In women (n = 226), the most common cancer sites were the breast (n = 104, 46.0%), followed by the digestive system (n = 34, 15.0%), and hematolymphoid system (n = 23, 10.2%). Children and adolescents accounted for 11.3% (n = 54) of the total cases. The hematolymphoid system was the most common cancer site (n = 27, 50%), followed by the brain (n = 8, 14.8%). More than a third of all patients presented with distant metastasis.CONCLUSION: The most common cancer sites in our cohort are generally similar to data from the Palestinian territories. Many patients presented with advanced-stage disease, which signals the need for awareness campaigns and screening programs. Cancer is misdiagnosed in many patients with benign tumors, which is a consequence of a shortage in specialists and limited diagnostic equipment.