Socio-demographic, pattern of presentation and management outcome of breast cancer in a semi-urban tertiary health institution

Abstract

Introduction breast cancer is the most common malignancy in females worldwide and a major cause of cancer-related deaths in both developing and developed countries. The objective of this study was to determine the socio-demographics, pattern of presentation and management outcome of breast cancer patients. Methods clinical records of confirmed breast cancer patients between January 2011 and December 2015 at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria were reviewed. Results eighty two breast cancer patients were seen. Their ages ranged from 26-95 years (mean 48.9 ± 14.9 years, median 47.5 years). Eighty one (98.8%) were females and the majority (65.4%) were premenopausal. The peak age of incidence was in the 4 th decade. All patients presented with breast lump with mean duration of 9.49±6.1 months and size ranging from 2 to 16cm (mean 7.9±3.4 cm). Ten (12.2%) patients presented early, 61 (74.4%) were locally advanced while 11 (13.4%) had distant metastases. Fifty one (62.2%) patients had mastectomy. Only 38 (46.3%) patients completed six courses of chemotherapy. None had immunohistochemistry but they all routinely took tamoxifen. Only 4 (4.9%) had radiotherapy. Nineteen (23.2%) died within a year of presentation. The follow-up period ranged between 1 and 44 months (mean, 10.3 months). Thirty one (37.8%), 19 (23.2%) and 8 (9.8%) patients were seen during the first, second and third year of follow up respectively. Conclusion breast cancer mostly affects young premenopausal women presenting in advanced stage in our setting. The generally poor outcome is not unconnected with late presentation and inadequate diagnostic and treatment facilities.

Breast Cancer Distribution Pattern in a Pathology Center in South East Nigeria

“…The age distribution of patients reported in this study ranges from third to seventh decades of life. This is in consonance with the findings of Olaogun et al [26]. This study however, reported increased incidence amongst patients within the third decade of life.…”

“…The current study reported progressive increase in incidence from 2015 to 2019. This agrees with the findings of Olaogun et al [26] (who reported increased breast cancer incidence in Nigeria from 15.3 per 100,000 in 1976 to 64.6 per 100,000 in 2012) and Azubike et al [27]. The increased number of presented cases may be connected to increased awareness of the disease burden among the sub-urban population.…”

A Cross-Sectional Study of Sialic Acids Level in Breast Cancer Patients Attending Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, North-Western Nigeria: Preliminary investigations and Implications on Disease Subtypes, Grade and Chemotherapy Courses

“…in stages III and IV, suggesting the patients presented late to the hospital as was observed in a study carried out in Western Nigeria (Olaogun et al, 2020).…”

“…Several breast cancer treatments are currently in use but are more effective when the disease is diagnosed early in patients (Ali et al, 2016). Unfortunately, most women in Sub Saharan Africa present the disease to the hospital during the later stages of the disease (Olaogun et al, 2020). Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease associated with several risk factors (Seiler et al, 2018).…”

Breast cancer screening: can the iBreastExam bridge the gap?

“…Presentation at an advanced stage is common in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), and treatment outcomes are poor due to late detection, insufficient diagnostic equipment, and inadequate access to health care. [2][3][4] Therefore, efforts geared at improving early diagnosis will be worthwhile.…”