Breast Density and Breast Cancer Incidence in the Lebanese Population: Results from a Retrospective Multicenter Study.

Christine Salem,Mary Dib,Georges Chahine,Antoine Haddad,Nadine El Kassis,Joelle Safi,Laura-Maria Maalouly,Malak Moubarak,David Atallah,Michel Ghossain

doi:10.1155/2017/7594953

Abstract

Purpose To study the distribution of breast mammogram density in Lebanese women and correlate it with breast cancer (BC) incidence. Methods Data from 1,049 women who had screening or diagnostic mammography were retrospectively reviewed. Age, menopausal status, contraceptives or hormonal replacement therapy (HRT), parity, breastfeeding, history of BC, breast mammogram density, and final BI-RADS assessment were collected. Breast density was analyzed in each age category and compared according to factors that could influence breast density and BC incidence. Results 120 (11.4%) patients had BC personal history with radiation and/or chemotherapy; 66 patients were postmenopausal under HRT. Mean age was 52.58 ± 11.90 years. 76.4% of the patients (30–39 years) had dense breasts. Parity, age, and menopausal status were correlated to breast density whereas breastfeeding and personal/family history of BC and HRT were not. In multivariate analysis, it was shown that the risk of breast cancer significantly increases 3.3% with age (P = 0.005), 2.5 times in case of menopause (P = 0.004), and 1.4 times when breast density increases (P = 0.014). Conclusion Breast density distribution in Lebanon is similar to the western society. Similarly to other studies, it was shown that high breast density was statistically related to breast cancer, especially in older and menopausal women.

Highlights

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women worldwide, with nearly 1.7 million new cases diagnosed in 2012
Since Lebanese age-specific incidence rate is the highest worldwide for the 35–49 age group, we aimed to study the distribution of breast density in the Lebanese population and to compare it with the western population
We found that parity and menopausal status were associated with breast density changes whereas breastfeeding and personal and family history of BC and hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) were not

Summary

Introduction

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women worldwide, with nearly 1.7 million new cases diagnosed in 2012. The highest age-standardized incidence rates are reported in the developed countries, ranging from 111.9 in Belgium to 92.9 in USA and 83.1 per 100,000 habitants in Switzerland [1]. In Lebanon, a Middle Eastern Asian country with a population size of 4 million people, BC is the most frequent cancer and constitutes 38% of all women cancers [4, 5]. 100,000 persons, lower than the western countries but higher than the surrounding countries such as Mediterranean Europe, Eastern Europe, and Arab countries [2, 6]. The median age (52 years) of BC in Lebanon is lower than the western population (63 years) but higher than the Arab countries (e.g., 46 years in Egypt) [6,7,8]. Lebanese age-specific incidence rate is the highest worldwide for the 35–39 and 40–49 age groups with the exception of Israeli Jews in the 35–39 age group [9, 10]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion