Breast masses in Zaria, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Breast masses are a common problem worldwide. There is usually an urgent need to differentiate benign from malignant masses.


Method: A retrospective study of 428 patients at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria with breast masses in fourteen (14) years was carried out.


Results: There were 401 females and 27 males. There were three hundred and five (71.3%) benign lesions and 123 (28.7%) malignant lesions. One hundred and fifteen (26.9%)), 103 (24.%) and 65 (15.2%) of the masses were carcinoma, fibroadenoma and fibrocystic change respectively. Of the 123 malignant lesions, 115(93.5%) were primary breast carcinoma; of these six (5.2%) were in male patients. Eighty-five (73.9%) of the patients with carcinoma had advanced disease. The commonest histologic type was ductal carcinoma in 96 patients (83.5%). All the 305 patients with benign lesions had excisional biopsies. Majority of patients with carcinoma 104 (90.4%) had mastectomy, the other 11 patients had only biopsies. Eighty-nine females with carcinoma (72.4%) had, chemotherapy. Majority of the patients (91.1%) were seen once after discharge from hospital.


Conclusion: Benign breast lesions (Fibroadenoma and fibroadanesis) are the commonest cause of breast Masses in our environment, followed by carcinoma of the breast. Patients with breast cancer commonly present late, with advanced disease.


Keywords: Breast, cancer, advanced diseases


Annals of African Medicine Vol.2(1) 2003: 13-16