Clinicopathologic characteristics of breast cancer in Jamaica.

Sheray Nicole Chin,Cheryl Green,Gilian Wharfe,Georgiana Gordon Strachan

doi:10.7314/apjcp.2014.15.7.3319

Sheray Nicole Chin, Cheryl Green + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.7314/apjcp.2014.15.7.3319

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Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Jamaican women. This study assessed the clinicopathologic features of cases in a hospital-based specialist clinic in Kingston, Jamaica. A retrospective chart review was performed for the 2-year study period and relevant clinical and surgico-pathologic data were recorded and analyzed. Median age of the 121 breast cancer patients was 52 years (range 22-84, IQR 20) and there was 1 case of male breast cancer. Most patients (65%) were referred from the surgical service after definitive breast cancer surgery, 20% were referred for pre-operative systemic therapy, and 15% had a diagnosis of metastatic disease. The surgico-pathologic group comprised 78 women who were referred for adjuvant therapy. The majority had presented with a palpable breast lump (91%), with median tumour size 3.5cm (range 0.4-13, IQR 4). Most tumours were node positive (56%). Approximately one-third of patients had stage III disease (33%). Most women presented with large palpable tumours and had lymph node involvement confirmed on surgicopathological evaluation, indicative of limited early breast cancer detection. A national screening mammography programme is recommended for detection of earlier lesions. Pre-operative systemic therapy should be considered as an option for eligible patients.

Highlights

Materials and MethodsBreast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Jamaican women, accounting for almost one-third of all cancers
Most patients (65%) were referred from the surgical service after definitive breast cancer surgery, 20% were referred for pre-operative systemic therapy, and 15% had a diagnosis of metastatic disease
Breast cancer was the most common cancer diagnosis (121 cases), accounting for 70% of cancers seen in the clinic

Summary

Materials and Methods

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Jamaican women, accounting for almost one-third of all cancers. It has been our clinical experience that a significant proportion of women with breast cancer present with large primary tumours with extensive nodal involvement, without distant metastases (locally advanced disease). There is no published data on the stages of presentation of breast cancer in Jamaican women. In this retrospective study, we assessed the clinical and surgico-pathologic features of breast cancer in patients attending the Haematology/Oncology clinic at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), a tertiary care hospital in Kingston, Jamaica, during a 2-year period. For patients who had undergone surgico-pathologic staging, we recorded further clinical details and reviewed histopathology reports to ascertain tumour pathology (including pT and pN) and receptor status (oestrogen [ER] and Her-2 receptor [Her]). Statistical tests were performed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences® v 12.0

Results

Result

Discussion