Breast cancer in Nigerian women

Abstract

A combined retrospective (1971-1980) and prospective (1981-1990) study of the epidemiology, clinical characteristics and pathology of breast cancer in a black African population was carried out. There were 1946 biopsy-proven cases, with a rate frequency of 33.6 per 100,000 patients per year. The age range was 14-96 years but 70 per cent of patients were between 26 and 50 years old. The cumulative frequency of cancer was 0.8 per cent at age < 20 years and 3.3 per cent at age < 25 years; the peak age range for disease was 36-45 years. Of 1842 evaluable patients, 17.2 per cent presented with stages I or II cancer and 73.8 per cent with stage III disease. The dominant histopathological type was infiltrating ductal cancer (49.2 per cent), followed by undifferentiated anaplastic carcinoma (33.3 per cent). Burkitt's lymphoma occurred in five patients and developed concurrently and rapidly during lactation in four. The prospective study did not demonstrate that age at menarche or first full-term pregnancy, duration of breast feeding or parity were risk factors in black women.

Breast Cancer among Urban Nigerian Women: Appraising Presentation and the Quality of Care

“…This figure is higher than what was reported more than a decade ago when 77% among breast cancer patients in Lagos presented in late stages [9]. Reports from other centres in Nigeria over the years showed that majority, ranging from 64% to 95% presented with late stages of the disease [2,3,10,13]. Fourteen percent had bilateral breast involvement at presentation in this study.…”

“…Fourteen percent had bilateral breast involvement at presentation in this study. Involvement of both breasts at presentation ranged from 1% to 9% in previous studies among breast cancer patients in Nigeria [3,9,10,13].…”

“…decades [2,3,10]. Studies have shown that fear of mastectomy, ignorance of the seriousness of painless breast lump, preference for traditional treatment, belief in spiritual healing and economic reasons are the main cause of late presentation of breast cancer patients in Nigeria and Ghana [11,12].…”

“…Current estimates put the prevalence of this condition in Nigeria at 116 cases per 100,000 women/year [2]. This rate is higher than 33.6/100,000 women reported less than 2 decades ago [3]. In advanced countries, majority among breast cancer patients present with early stages due to better awareness and adoption of breast cancer screening methods [1].…”

The Spectrum of Breast Diseases in Saudi Arab Females: A 26 Year Pathological Survey at Dhahran Health Center

“…In addition, carcinoma of the breast ranks first among malignant tumors affecting females in many parts of the world, including Saudi Arabia. 1 Wide variations in the spectrum of breast diseases and the epidemiology of mammary carcinoma in various countries [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] or ethnic groups [10][11][12] have been reported. In the Arab world, most of the studies on pathological conditions of the breast are related to its malignancies.…”