Patterns of Breast Cancer Among Ethiopian Patients: Presentations and Histopathological Features

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. In Ethiopia breast cancer is among the most prevalent cancer and occurs at young age. It usually presents at an advanced stage. Objective: To describe the frequency, stages, histological patterns, staging and grading of breast cancers among Ethiopian women in three Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A prospective study of 197 patients who presented to three hospital with breast cancer and underwent surgery from December 2013-December 2015. Tissue were fixed in 10% formalin solution and paraffin embedded. Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained slides were prepared in all cases and reviewed and classify according to the WHO. Results: The mean ± SD age of the participants was 44.77 ± 13.6 and the median was 42 years. Most patients were aged less than 50 years (70.6%) at the time of diagnosis. 57.4% were pre-menopausal and 42.6% were postmenopausal. The duration of symptom before presentation ranged from 2 to 48 months with mean ± SD 18.11 ± 13.2 months. Invasive ductal carcinoma was the commonest (79.2%) histologic type of breast cancer. Of all patients, (46.2 %) of patients had grade 2, while (36.5%) of the cases were grade 3 or poorly differentiated tumors. Most patients (70%) presented with advanced stage (III and IV) and more than (90 %) tumor were >2 cm in size. Conclusion: Our study shows breast cancer is a common disease that affects young Ethiopian women, and that there is a significant delay in presentation and advanced stage presentation is a major concern. It should be recognized that breast cancer is a disease with a serious public health implication.

Epidemiological Trends of Breast Cancer in Southern Ethiopia: A Seven-Year Retrospective Review

“…This finding is similar to studies done in 3 hospitals in Addis Ababa, University of Gondar Hospital cancer center, central Africa, and India. 5 , 16 , 17 . Most African women were presenting hospital at late stage of the diseases.…”

“… 3 , 4 Breast cancers is one of the leading cancers among women in developing countries including Ethiopia. 5 - 8 . It is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries.…”

<p>Knowledge and Practice of Breast Self-Examination Among Young Women in Tertiary Education in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia</p>

“…11 For the reason of scarce data compilation, the accurate occurrence rate of breast cancer in Ethiopia is unclear. 13 However, according to a study done in Tikur Anbessa specialized hospital, the largest teaching hospital and the only cancer referral center in Ethiopia, among 16,622 new cancer cases registered, 3460 (21.0%) were breast cancer new cases indicating about 216 cases annually. 14,15 Breast cancer cases are among the top prevalent case (31.5%), followed by cervical cancer, which accounts for 14% among women in the country.…”

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“…Many occurrences go unreported because women in rural regions sometimes seek treatment from traditional healers before seeking medical help [ 8 ]. Women in underdeveloped nations are more likely to be diagnosed late in breast cancer and in many situations due to weak health care systems and limited access to early detection and treatment; even access to supportive and palliative care is limited [ 9 ].…”