Characteristics of Breast Cancer at First Presentation in Sudanese Patients Attending the National Cancer Institute–University of Gezira (NCI–UG)

Background: Little information is available about breast cancer (BC) inSudan. Therefore, the present study aimed to provide baseline information aboutthe demographic features and tumor characteristics, and also to investigate theassociations between demographic variables and presentation stage in BC patientsattending the National Cancer Institute-University of Gezira (NCI-UG), Sudan. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included all BC patients treated atthe NCI-UG from January to December 2013. Patients' demographic, clinical andpathological data were retrieved from the hospital records and analyzed usingSPSS version 20, and associations between these factors were tested as well. Results: A total of 232 cases were included in this research. The majority(97.8%) of subjects were females and 2.2% were males. The median age atdiagnosis was 50 years (range, 22-90). The mean time between identification ofsymptoms and diagnosis was 13 months (SD=16.1). Clinical stages I, II, III, and IVrepresented 6.9%, 37.0%, 40.9% and 15.2%, respectively. Advanced stage atdiagnosis was associated with longer duration between identifying the symptomsto diagnosis (P=0.006). Also the level of education of BC patients wassignificantly associated with clinical stage at presentation (P = 0.01). Conclusions: Sudanese patients with BC present at a younger age and withmore advanced stage at diagnosis than those in developed countries. Patients'education level and duration from identification of BC symptoms to diagnosissignificantly impact the stage at the time of presentation. In limited resource setting,early diagnosis of symptomatic BC is crucial in reducing the disease burden.

Characteristics of Breast Cancer at First Presentation in Sudanese Patients Attending the National Cancer Institute–University of Gezira (NCI–UG) Keywords:

Breast neoplasm , Sudanese women , delayed presentation , advanceed stage , sub-Saharan Africa