Women With Breast Cancer Attended in Public Hospital From Macapá, Amapá

Abstract

Breast cancer is a disease of epidemiological concern worldwide, being considered a serious public health problem. Although it is well established that early diagnosis and adequate treatment interfere with mortality rates and the prevalence of cancer, few data are available regarding the descriptive epidemiology of breast cancer in Brazil, as well as in the various states of the federation, as is the State of Amapá. The general objective was to characterize the risk factors of breast cancer patients treated at Hospital de Clínicas Dr. Alberto Lima (HCAL) from January 2012 to December 2017 in the city of Macapá, Amapá. Cases of breast cancer were reviewed, with an analysis of 194 medical records, and the following variables were studied: age, education level, histological type of the neoplasia, age at first delivery, menarche and menopause, breastfeeding time, alcohol intake, smoking, family history of breast cancer in first-degree relatives. It was noted that the age group most affected was between 41-50 years old and with an education level of elementary education. In these women, the most frequent characteristics were: age at first delivery between 13-20 years, menarche between 10-13 years, menopause from 41-50 years with a significant number of patients at menace (outside menopause), breastfeeding time between 2-22 and 23-42 months, both intervals with the same number of records; most did not drink alcohol, were not smokers and had no family history of first-degree relatives of breast cancer. In the cases studied, the most frequently diagnosed histological type was invasive ductal carcinoma.