Breast cancer and its epidemiology in Pakistan

Introduction: Breast cancer is a rapidly growing cancer among women of Pakistan. Due to its bi-modal age distribution and being the most prevalent cancer there is a dire need to identify changes in distribution of epidemiological determinants influencing disease presentation. The aim of the study was to identify patterns and socio-demographic determinants of presentation of breast cancer in female patients attending oncology hospitals of Lahore. Material & methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-structured questionnaire, containing questions about age, marital status, education, employment and socioeconomic class, administered on diagnosed breast cancer patients of two Oncology Hospitals/Centers of Lahore. A total of 370 females diagnosed with breast cancer were conveniently enrolled in this descriptive study. Results: Out of a total of 370 patients, 263 patients were >40 years of age (71.1%), 308 (83.2%) were married, 130 (35.1%) patients did not receive any form of formal education, 319 (86.2%) patients were unemployed and 197 (53.2%) were from the lower socioeconomic group. In addition to this, 181 (48.9%) were diagnosed at stage III of the disease and 73 (19.7%) were diagnosed at Stage IV. Stage of presentation was significantly associated with socio-economic status, employment status and education level, while it was not associated with age and marital status. Conclusion: Recognizing the patterns of Breast Cancer in the region is important to identify the risk factors associated with the disease. It is necessary to educate communities regarding early detection and recognizing the symptoms of breast cancer. There is an urgent need to increase the accessibility of screening methods for patients older than 40 years of age. Key words: Breast cancer, Socioeconomic Class, Screening, Age.