Breast cancer as seen in King Fahd University Hospital, Al-Khobar, 1983-1986.

Breast cancer is the most common female cancer in Saudi Arabia as reported in several studies based on data from specialized centres. The numbers seen in most general hospitals, however, are low, making it difficult to carry out comprehensive clinicopathological studies of the disease. We present the results of a hospital-based study which confirm the low hospital case incidence. The disease appears to be commoner in a younger age group, with a higher occurrence of medullary carcinoma compared with studies carried out elsewhere. These findings emphasize the need for a national population-based study as the best method for defining the problem of breast cancer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.