BACKGROUND: Every population, regardless of wealth or social development, faces the major health issue of cancer. Cancer incidence and mortality differ by region and period. Thus, this study aimed to determine the characteristics, incidence, and mortality of various cancers at Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital, a referral center hospital in Makassar, Indonesia.

METHODS: This study employed a descriptive research design using secondary data recorded at Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital in Makassar, Indonesia, between January 2002 and December 2019.

RESULTS: We classified the 7824 cancer patients in our study into solid and non-solid cancer groups. The incidence of solid cancer (79.3%) was higher than that of non-solid cancer (20.7%), causing 1063 deaths, or 61.7%, of all cancer-related deaths. There were 6083 (77.7%) cases of cancer survival. The cancers with the highest incidence were breast cancer (1008 cases [12.9%]), leukemia (683 cases [8.7%]), and cervical cancer (631 cases [8.1%]). Breast, cervical, and ovarian cancers were the most frequent cancers in female patients. Leukemia was the most frequent cancer in male patients, followed by colorectal and liver cancers.

CONCLUSIONS: A region-based statistical record of cancer incidence and mortality is vital and useful to prioritizing cancer treatment at a given time.

KEYWORDS: incidence, mortality, cancer