Locally Advanced Breast Cancer in Pakistani Women: What Is Different from Rest of the World and Why It Is Difficult to Manage

Abstract

Locally Advance Breast Cancer refers to a heterogeneous group of breast cancer with locally extensive disease, which may or may not involve the nodes, without any distant metastases. The study was conducted at Faisalabad Medical University (FMU), Oncology, Allied Hospital Faisalabad (Pakistan). Data of 100 patients with LABC was collected. Demographics were recorded in the form of age, socio-economic status. In clinical data, time of presentation, family history of breast cancer, the presenting symptom in the form of lump, ulceration and other skin changes were noted. Histo-pathological variables including tumor size, histopathology, Bloom & Richardson grading, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor status (PR) and HER2 status. Results showed that after following a standard trimodality treatment approach in LABC patients, 30 percent died within two years. Disease free survival for more than two years was observed in only 25% of patients. Whereas, 70% patients had eventful (Recurrence/metastases) survival. This poor outcome was observed due to lack of health care facilities, awareness and poor socioeco-nomic status.