Demographic and clinical patterns of cervical cancer, colorectal carcinoma, and acute leukaemia at a tertiary oncology centre in Pakistan: A secondary benchmarking analysis

Abstract

This study was conducted to describe and compare the demographic and clinical profiles of patients with cervical cancer, colorectal carcinoma, and acute leukaemia at a tertiary oncology centre in Karachi, Pakistan, and to benchmark these findings against local, regional, and global reference data, with a view to informing screening policy and cancer awareness strategies in a resource-limited setting. This study was secondary synthesis of aggregated data from published cross-sectional observational studies. The study was conducted at the Department of Medical Oncology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi, Pakistan. A combined cohort of 329 adult patients with histologically confirmed malignancies: 92 with cervical cancer, 107 with colorectal carcinoma, and 130 with acute leukaemia were included. The mean age at diagnosis was 53.4 years (SD 10.9) for cervical cancer, with approximately 11% of patients under 40 years — consistent with local and global norms. By contrast, colorectal carcinoma presented at a median age of 40 years (IQR 16), with an estimated 65% of patients under 40, and acute leukaemia at a mean age of 27.9 years (SD 14.5), with approximately 80% under 40. These younger age profiles align broadly with South Asian data but diverge substantially from global medians of 68–72 years for colorectal carcinoma and 68–71 years for acute leukaemia. A descriptive comparison of the proportion of under-40 patients across the three cancer types showed a marked gradient (cervical ~11%, colorectal ~65%, leukaemia ~80%). Male predominance was observed in both colorectal carcinoma (66%) and acute leukaemia (65%). Advanced-stage disease was common in both solid tumours, affecting 60% of cervical and 67% of colorectal cases. Sedentary behaviour (92%) and smoking (58%) were frequently documented among colorectal carcinoma patients. This synthesis demonstrates a pronounced age divergence in colorectal carcinoma and acute leukaemia relative to global benchmarks, consistent with broader trends across Pakistan and South Asia. The findings support a review of locally appropriate screening thresholds and underscore the need for age-inclusive cancer awareness programmes. Multi-centre collaborative studies are required to generate the evidence base necessary for context-specific national guidelines