THE CHANGING PATTERN OF INCIDENCE OF VARlOUS HISTOLOGIC TYPES OF BLADDER CANCER IN EGYPT DURING THE LAST DECADE

Abstract

The importance of bladder cancer in our country is demonstrated by the fact that, Egypt has the highest frequency in the world of bladder cancer relative to other malignancies (Ibrahim & Elsebai, 1983). At the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, bladder cancer constituted 30.3% of all cancers (Sherif & Ibrahim, 1987). Meanwhile, bladder cancer formed only about 4% of all cancers in western series (Boring et al, 1995).

It is also interesting to note that; the highest incidence of bladder cancer associated with bilharziasis comes from Egypt (EI-Bolkainy, 2000). In earlier series reported from Egypt, patients with bladder cancer, showed a high incidence of associated S. Haematobium in the bladder wall, with an incidence of 83.1% to 97% (Aboul Nasr et al, 1962; Hashem et al, 1961). Knowing that the high

frequency of squamous cell carcinoma is one of the main distinctive features of bilharzia! bladder cancer, one can understand that the majority of bladder cancers reported in past series coming from Egypt, were of squamous cell carcinoma. accounting for more than 75% of cases in some series (EI-Bolkainy et al, 1981).