Age distribution, family history, and stage of breast cancer in women treated in public hospitals in Cordoba, Argentina: 2004 - 2010

Authors

  • Ana María Juárez Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Escuela de Salud Pública,
  • Ruth Fernández Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Escuela de Salud Pública,

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to analyze the age at which women treated in public hospitals in the City of Córdoba, Argentina from 2004 to 2010 were diagnosed with breast cancer, their stage at diagnosis, and their family history of breast cancer. Material and methods: This study was carried out in four public institutions, using the to¬tal number of cases registered in medical records by the pathology and statistical services (n=1423). Trends in age at diagnosis over the study period was evaluated with linear regres¬sion, and tumor stage and histology according to age was analyzed with Poisson regression. Results: In terms of diagnostic age, 8.74% of the women studied were under 40 years of age, which represents a higher percentage of cases, in comparison with international literature. With regards to age distribution, the greatest number of cases was observed in the group be¬tween 50 and 59 years of age. Discussion: The proportion of women older than 40 years detected with late stage cancer was 44.22%, which is higher than the values reported in developed countries. The diagnostic age trend increased by 0.39 per year, and there was no change in the stage at diagnosis. Finally, 15.95% of the women had reported family history of breast cancer, although it is noteworthy that the frequency of recording family history in the medical charts was limited.

Keywords:

Cáncer mamario, Investigación sanitaria, Grupo etario, Breast neoplasms, Health services research, Age groups