Factors Impacting the Staging of Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Breast cancer remains a significant public health concern, with staging at diagnosis being a critical factor in prognosis and treatment planning. While biomedical markers have been extensively studied, there is a growing interest in understanding the diagnostic impact of various factors on the staging of breast cancer. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 patients with diagnosed breast cancer, further stratifying them by stage (I-IV) and correlating with different factors which includes socio demographic factors too. A significant association was found between the less than <12 years of age of menarche (p-value 0.038), more than one children (p value 0.014) and no breast feeding history (p-value 0.05) with advanced cancer stage (stage IV). No significant association was observed among age of menopause, marital status with cancer staging. Among the clinical features of respondents, the size of the breast lump, presence of nipple retraction, and axillary lymph node enlargement were found more with stage IV. The findings suggested that while certain social factors like marital status may not directly influence the stage at diagnosis, the number of children a patient has could be an indicator of later-stage diagnosis. About 40% of respondents were diagnosed at stage IV, followed by 28% at stage III, indicating a trend towards late diagnosis. This may reflect broader societal and behavioural patterns that affect health-seeking behaviour and access to healthcare. The staging of breast cancer based on these clinical features not only guides the therapeutic approach, including the decision for surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, but also has implications for the patient's survival outcomes. Understanding these associations aids clinicians in developing personalized treatment plans and also plays a role in the development of screening guidelines aimed at early detection.