Multiple Primary Cancers in North Tunisia, 2000 - 2009

Background and Objective: To evaluate and report the frequency, epidemiologic and anatomic – clinical features of patients who developed MPM from the data of North Tunisia Cancer Registry, during the period 2000-2009. Materials and methods: From a population of 53757 new patients of the North Tunisia National Cancer Registry database presenting new cases of cancers during the period 2000-2009 in North Tunisia, we collected and analyzed those with MPMTs. We used for MPMT the international IARC diagnosis criteria are published in ICD-O Third Edition. Results: In the 53757 new cancer cases registered from 2000-2009, we collected 528 cases (1.0%) of MPM. Mean age at diagnosis of the 1st cancer was 61 years (22-99) and sex-ratio at 1.08 (275M/253F) while mean age at the 2nd cancer diagnosis was 62 years (29 to 99). Among the 528 cases, the most frequent 1 st cancer site was breast in females (147 pts, 58.1%) and urinary tract for males (56 patients, 20.4%). In the 528 MPM cases, 321 (60.8%) were synchronous and 207 cases (39.2%) were metachronous tumors. The median time from 1 st to 2 nd cancer was 1.98 months (range 0-140). The most associated 1 st -2 nd cancer sites were breast in 110 patients (43.3%) in females and for males’ urinary tract -prostate cancers (45 patients, 16.3%). Conclusions: The coexistence of a synchronous or metachronous MPM is possible and have to be considered during pretreatment evaluation. A close follow-up should be recommended to detect second malignancies in patients treated for a 1 st cancer.