Abstract 1514P
Background
The notion that breast cancer in developing countries is characterized by young age appears to be true in Albania. This review aims to evaluate and document the age pattern of breast cancer at diagnosis in a developing country.
Methods
This review was undertaken at “Mother Teresa” University Hospital Center, in Tirana, Albania between January 2010 to December 2019. Medical records and pathology reports of 1563 breast cancer patients were thoroughly reviewed with an emphasis on age at diagnosis.
Results
The total number of evaluated breast cancer patients was 1563. Age ranged from 23 to 88 years old with a median age of 55 years old. There was no noticeable change in age at diagnosis between the years. Most of the patients were within the age range of 40 -59 accounting for 55% of all breast cancer patients. It was also noted that 36.9% of cases were below the age of 50 years. The lower occurrence was demonstrated in the lower and higher age groups.
Conclusions
Contrary to the reported age pattern of breast cancer in high-income countries which can easily be explained by the older population as compared to the Albanian population, Albanian women tend to be diagnosed at a younger age than women in developed countries. This review had shown that 55% of cases were in the age range of 40 - 59 years. Special attention and consideration should be directed to this group of women during screening and breast imaging for symptomatic presentations.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.