Breast cancer metastasis patterns in Yenagoa, Nigeria

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to study the characteristics and patterns of metastatic breast cancer in Yenagoa, Nigeria. Material and Methods: This study was a retrospective hospital-based study using a standardized data form for the capture of relevant information with definite exclusion criteria. Information gathered was captured in an Excel spreadsheet and subjected to statistical analysis. Subjects were 78 female patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Results: The mean age of the study population was 47.86 years. About 64% had 1–4 children while 26% had more than five children. The most common findings on general clinical examination were anemia (43.6%), cachexia (39.7%), and hepatomegaly (11.5%). On breast examination, the most common findings were axillary lymphadenopathy (87.2%), nipple changes (67.9%), peau d’orange (64.1%), skin nodules (64.1%), and chest fixity (60.3%). About 29.5% of patients had evidence of pulmonary metastasis, 19.2% had liver metastases, and 25.6% had spread to multiple sites. Central nervous system and spinal spread were found to be commoner in younger patients (<48 years). Conclusion: Most of the patients presenting in the hospital had evidence of metastasis. This has been found to be due mostly to delay in hospital presentation due to a complex combination of patient and healthcare-related factors. Measures for improving the dire statistics are proffered.