Pattern of presentation and management of ca breast in developing countries. There is a lot to do.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the pattern of presentation, severity, factors responsible for delayed presentation and outcome of breast cancer in patients presenting to a teaching hospital of Jamshoro.

METHODS

It's a prospective descriptive study of 103 malignant breast lumps treated at a tertiary care teaching hospital over a period of 8 years. All patients were admitted through Outpatients department and were thoroughly examined and investigated. Treatment offered was based on triple assessment and ranged from lumpectomy to toilet mastectomy depending upon the stage of disease. The variables studied were recorded on a proforma and analyzed on SPSS version 12 for measuring frequencies and using Chi square test where applicable.

RESULTS

The mean age of the study population was 39.17 +/- 6.019 years and a range of 22 to 54 years. The frequency of advanced malignancy was alarmingly high in younger patients. Intra- ductal carcinoma was the commonest tumour in 93 (90%) patients, while the remaining included lobular (07) and Paget's disease (03). The high figures of advanced disease at presentation is attributed to lack of knowledge and education, poverty and local customs of women not exposing themselves even to the physicians. In addition, there is a substantial delay in the referral of patients from under privileged, remote areas where patients continue to receive symptomatic treatment till such time that disease becomes incurable.

CONCLUSION

Advanced breast disease is common in younger patients belonging to underprivileged and remote rural areas. Great efforts are required to educate people so as to make early diagnosis possible