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Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics, Vol. 7, No. 1, January-March, 2011, pp. 95 Letter to the Editor Epidemiological and clinical profile of breast cancer patients at a tertiary care hospital in South India Prashant R Kokiwar1, Hemant B Kumar2, Azam Mubashare2 1 Department of Community Medicine, Chalmeda Anand Rao Institute of Medical Sciences, Karimnagar - 505 001, Andhra Pradesh, India Correspondence Address: Prashant R Kokiwar, Department of Community Medicine, Chalmeda Anand Rao Institute of Medical Scineces, Bommakal, Karimnagar - 505 001, Andhra Pradesh, India, kokiwar@gmail.com Code Number: cr11022 PMID: 21546754 DOI: 10.4103/0973-1482.80445 Sir, Worldwide, breast cancer is the most frequent cancer in women and represents the second leading cause of cancer death among women. Presently, 75,000 new cases occur in India each year. [1] A record-based study of 557 breast cancer patients was conducted at a tertiary care hospital. Patients who had mastectomy outside were excluded. Majority of the patients (47.6%) presented in the fourth and fifth decades of their life. The incidence of breast carcinoma in males was found to be 1.6%. Isolated lump in the breast was the chief presenting complaint in majority of the patients (59.4%). Maximum number reported to the health facility after 1 year of onset of symptoms. This may be due to rural background, low literacy rates and ignorance among patients. 61.1% women with breast carcinoma were post menopausal. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) including FNAC + excision (38.9%) and excision biopsy (45.6%) were the principal diagnostic modalities used compared to mammography (1.6%) and other methods like use of core needle biopsy and vacuum assisted biopsy with mammographic or ultrasonographic guidance. Surgery was performed in 343 (61.6%) of the cases and MRM remained the gold standard for maximum of the breast carcinoma. Maximum cases were ductal invasive carcinoma, i.e. 272 (79.3%), compared to only nine (2.6%) cases of ductal carcinoma in situ. This can be attributed to late reporting. Whereas in western countries due to early reporting and detection, ductal carcinoma in situ accounts for more than 20% of breast cancer cases. [2] The important epidemiological risk factors for the development of breast cancer are age, family history, parity, age at menarche and menopause, prior history of breast biopsy, diet, socioeconomic status, and history of exposure to radiation and use of oral contraceptive pills. [3] These risk factors were not recorded in the present hospital records, except a few of these like age, age at menopause, family history and parity. We found that no patient had a positive family history of breast cancer. Similar finding was reported by Sandhu et al. [4] This may be due to the fact that appropriate history taking aspect had been either neglected or the patients were not aware about the breast carcinoma. Information on parity was available in only 32 out of 548 women (5.8%). Sandhu et al., [4] in their study, also found that out of the records of 304 patients studied, the information on parity was available in only 108 records. Other risk factors were not recorded in the present records studied. These records form an important basis of epidemiological information and should have comprehensive format and adequate recording when the patient is seen for the first time. A medical social worker should be appointed to take care of these records and history taking of patients. References
Copyright 2011 - Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics |
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