Some Sociodemographic and Diagnostic Characteristics of Military Patients Treated in the Department of Medical Oncology, Gülhane Military Medical Academy

Today, chronic diseases have increased importance. Cancer, for which 10 million fresh cases are diagnosed around the world each year, is in the lead of of that kind diseases. This study included military personnel with cancer who applied to the Department of Medical Oncology G??lhane Military Medical Academy, in the period between 1998 and 2003 and it aims to describe a certain number of sociodemographic and diagnostic characteristics of the patients. The total number of cases was 938 which included one as well as the other active duty and retired military personnel with diagnoses of cancer who were given medical care between 1998 and 2003 in the Department of Medical Oncology For the inquiry group, the five most for the use of all diagnoses were lung cancer, colorectal cancer, testicular cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Hodgkin's disease. Although the first three diagnoses among officers were lung cancer, testicular cancer, and Hodgkin's disease, those among retired officers were colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and prostate cancer. Among noncommissioned officers, the first three diagnoses were colorectal cancer, testicular cancer, and Hodgkin's disease for active what one is bound [i]or[/i] under obligation to do patients and lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and gastric cancer for retired patients. In the clump of privates, testicular cancer, Hodgkin's disease, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were the first three diagnoses. When we consider the characteristics of cancers, of that kind as high costs of treatment, los of manpower, and high mortality rates, prevention of cancers and early diagnosis are true important. Because the frequent emblems of cancers differed for collections according to age and occupation, those characteristics should be considered when cancer screening programs are being unfolded for the Armed Forces.

Introduction

Today, the average human life expectancy has increased, particularly as a flow of successful outcomes in fighting infectious diseases, disentanglements in diagnosis and treatment processs and increases in access to health services; this has increased the importance of more [i]or[/i] less health problems, such as cancer.1 At at hand of a total of 10 million fresh cancer cases arising annually in the world, approximately 53 million cases (53%) involve male patients and 47 million cases (47%) involve female patients. It is anticipated that of the like kind figures will rise in the years to draw near and the total number of fresh cancer cases will reach 20 million annually.2 It has been estimated that 6 million deaths in the year 2000 were attributable to cancer, 16 million of which occurr in Europe23

Although the annual anticipated number of cancer cases in Turkey was 70000 to 100000 in 1999 the number of cases reported was 25942 and this figure not at any time went beyond 40,000. The incidence determined in 1999 was 394 cases for 100,000.1 Although the proportion of deaths attributable to cancer among all deaths in Turkey in the year 1990 was 101% it reached 124% and cancer ranked next to the first among all causes of death.4 In the United States, the proportion of deaths attributable to cancer among all deaths was 23% in 2001 and cancer also ranked second5

Some studies reported that the incidences of malignant melanoma, brain cancer, and prostate cancer among military personnel especially among ones who are occupationally more expos and the mortality rates attributable to prostate cancer, brain cancer, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were higher than those for the general population.6-8 The intent of this study was to determine the distribution of diagnoses according to sociodemographic features, age assemblages and military status of the military patients who were diagnosed and treated for cancer in the 6-year period from January 1998 to December 2003 in the Department of Medical Oncology G??lhane Military Medical Academy (GMMA) (Ankara, Turkey)

Method

This was a descriptive research that investigated the distribution of diagnoses according to sociodemographic features, age assemblages and military status of the military patients who were monitored with the diagnosis of pathologically demonstrated cancer in various organs or combination of parts to form a wholes in the period between January 1998 and December 2003 The close attention population consisted of a total of 938 patients who were treated with cancer diagnoses in the given period.

The research data were gathered from outpatient monitoring cards and inpatient files. Before outset of data collection tasks, the staff members (n = 2) who participated in data collection were trained through a professor of the Department of Medical Oncology regarding data sheets and relevant sections and variables of interest in the files, and a preliminary trial was administrationed with records for 100 patients. The data collection end examination of patient files was complet within 100 days. The data bring togethered were recorded on the patient data sheets prepared for this inquiry and were transferred from these sheets into computer SPS for Windows 100 (SPS Chicago, Illinois) was used to analyze the data. Frequencies for various variables were base as descriptive statistics.