Rising pattern of breast cancer in young women

Abstract

Objectives: To study the rising pattern of breast cancer in young women
Design: Retrospective study of cases of breast cancer from histopathological diagnosis
Setting: Department of Pathology, Ilorin Teaching Hospital
Subjects: Breast cancer tissues sent to histopathology department for diagnosis Interventions: Tissue fixation and processing
Main outcome measures: Histopathological interpretation of Haematoxylin and Eosin (H & E) sections
Results: In 15 years covered by the second study (1998-2012), 2665 breast specimens were received with 525 cases of carcinoma of the breast. Age range was 19 to 93 years with mean age of 48 years. Peak age group was 40--49 years, accounting for 143 cases (27.2%). There were 150 (28.6%) cases in women below 40 years. The first study covered 19 years (1979-1997). Breast specimens from women were 1247 and 397 were carcinoma and proportion of women below 40years was 23.7%. Age range was 19 to 90 years with an average age of 47.2 years. More cases of breast cancer were recorded among those less than 40 years in the second study compared with the first one and this was more pronounced in the age group 30-39 years. Consequently, statistically significant difference in the proportion of cases was seen between the two study groups in the age group 30-39 years. The 95% confidence interval obtained for the age group was -0.2657 to -0.0983 (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Incidence of breast cancer is increasing, with statistically significant rise in young women. Facilities should be provided for screening, early diagnosis and management especially in the low- and middle-income countries.