Quality of life and epidemiological profile of male breast cancer treated at the university hospital of Casablanca, Morocco

Abstract

Nowadays, cancer is a huge public health challenge that needs for more advanced researches. Quality of life of patients with breast cancer is an important outcome. Data analyses are usually referred to female breast cancer studies and limited informations are available about male breast cancer. Our study is the first in our country to assess quality of life (QoL) in male patients affected by breast cancer. The purpose of this study is to investigate HRqol (health related quality of life) in male patients with breast cancer and clinico-pathological features at the university hospital of Casablanca, Morocco over a period of 6 years. This study involved 21 male subjects from 2012 to 2018. Required information were collected from the medical records of patients in the oncological center. We included demographic, clinical and pathological characteristics. HRqol was investigated using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 30-Item QoL Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), version 3.0. Mean age of patients at enrollment was 67.3 years (SD=15.6, range=36-87 years), the average consultation delay was 17,7 months, the most common histologic finding was infiltrating ductal adenocarcinoma (20 patients, 95.3%). Progesterone and estrogen receptors were positives in 90.4% (19 patients) of cases, the most representative stage was stage III, the most common molecular phenotype was Luminal B (16 patients, 76.2%), modified radical mastectomy was the main surgical procedure. Adjuvant therapy was based on chemotherapy (100%), radiotherapy (76.2%), hormone therapy (90.5%). Ten patients (47.6%) had metastasis. A moderate overall quality of life was reported, with a mean of 50±21.73. The results showed a mean physical function score (54.60±27.85), positive emotional functioning (56.34±31.94) and good social functioning (75.39±17.96). In brief, regarding QOL in this population, it appears to be better than expected andQOL generally improves after treatment. As for prevention, public education should be oriented toward men at higher risk in order to reduce the time between onset of symptoms and consultation.