Breast cancer in a private medical services center: a 10-year experience

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world in women and its incidence is rising, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In Africa, breast cancer has become a leading cancer among women. In sub-Saharan Africa, it is less common, occurs in younger age groups, and majority present late. In Ethiopia, the actual magnitude of the disease is unknown.Objective: The aim of this retrospective study is to analyze the pattern and treatment outcome of patients with breast cancer at our center.Methods: The study includes analysis of the clinical findings and treatment outcome of 404 patients with breast cancer managed from October 1, 2005 to September 30, 2015 at the United Vision Medical Services center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Results: The median age was 45 years; majority (61.2%) in the age group 35-54 years. The female to male ratio was 66.3:1.0. The most common presenting symptom was breast lump (85.3%). The mean duration of presenting symptoms was 9.2 months. On examination, breast lump was noted in 82.2% of the patients. The most frequent histological type was grade II ductal carcinoma. Most patients (80%) underwent breast surgery, mastectomy in nearly 97%. During follow up, 107 of 370 patients (28.9%) developed recurrences/ metastasis. The overall 5 year survival was 69.5%.Conclusion: Our study has shown that relatively young females are commonly affected; majority presented in advanced stage of the disease and the recurrence rates were high