Abstract 5507: Breast cancer in Jordan: A comprehensive epidemiological analysis 1996-2008

Abstract

Abstract Background: The epidemiology of breast cancer has been extensively studied in developed countries; however, epidemiological data is scarce in the Middle East. We present an epidemiological analysis of breast cancer in the Jordan in an attempt to aid continuously evolving strategies for cancer surveillance and control. Furthermore, we highlight the temporal changes of cancer care delivery over the period of this study. Material and methods: Data from the national cancer registry addressing the period from January 1996 to December 2008 were reviewed. The Jordanian national cancer registry was established in 1996 and utilizes a passive and active capture system. Tumor stage was classified into local, regional, distant or unknown. Crude incidence rates are expressed per 100,000. Results: Over the study years, 7,813 breast cancer cases were registered. The crude incidence rate of breast cancer ranged from 20 to 29.9 with 28.2% of cases occurring in 40-49, 26.4% of cases occuring in 50-59 and 18% of cases occuring in the 60-69 age groups. The median age was 51 (range, 16-100 years). Ductal carcinoma was found in 7,018 (89.8%), lobular adenocarcinoma in 478 (6.1%) and sarcoma in 139 (1.8%) patients. Overall; 1,412 (17.4%) cases harbored local, 1,504 (19.3%) harbored regional, 1,572 (18.3%) harbored metastatic disease while in 3,306 patients (45.2%) staging data was missing. Over the years; 2,361 (30.2%) cases were treated at academic/ comprehensive cancer centers while 4,760 (60.9%) cases were treated at a primary care/ community and/or private healthcare setting. In 692 (8.9%) patients, the location of healthcare delivery was unknown 1,652 (21.1%). We observed a trend towards referring more patients to academic/ comprehensive cancer centers over the years of the study; only 29 (6.5%) of a total of 449 patients presenting in 1996 were treated at such institutions as opposed to 406 (47.5%) of a total of 855 patients in 2008. Conclusions: This study represents the first comprehensive assessment of the epidemiological features of breast cancer in Jordan basing a framework for enhancing strategic health plans regarding cancer surveillance and control in Jordan and the Middle East. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5507. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5507