Residential Proximity to Crude Oil Activities and Cancer Occurrence among Surgical Patients in Rivers State: A Case–Control Study

Background: Nigeria first experienced the “black gold” era with the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities at Oloibiri Community in the old Rivers State in January 1956. Aim: This study explored the relationship between residence in areas of crude oil activities and the occurrence of cancers among surgical cancer patients in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A case-control study was conducted among admitted surgical cancer patients in Port Harcourt using a designed study proforma. The analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Results: There were 401 cancer cases and 400 non-cancer respondents (controls), matched for age and sex. The mean age was 55.44±13.4 years; 797 respondents (cases: n = 399, 50.1%; controls: n = 398, 49.9%) were Nigerians, and 621 (77.5%) were from Rivers State. There were 178 (44.4%) cancer cases among patients residing in Rivers South East Senatorial District, 153 (38.2%) in Rivers East Senatorial District, 67 (16.7%) in Rivers West Senatorial District, and 3 (0.7%) for whom the senatorial district was not applicable. There was no statistically significant association between senatorial district and cancer status. However, residence in communities with crude oil activities was associated with higher odds of cancer (OR = 42.970, 95% CI = 27.50–67.15, P < 0.001). Residence for more than 10 years in communities with crude oil activities was also associated with higher odds of cancer (OR = 15.120, 95% CI = 8.540–27.157, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The odds of cancer were higher among residents of communities where crude oil activities are carried out. This study provides a pioneer account of surgical cancers in areas of crude oil activities and warrants further studies.