Characteristics, Treatment Patterns and Clinical Outcomes of Women with Maghreb Origin and Diagnosis of Breast Cancer: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Disparities in breast cancer (BC) prevention, screening, treatment access, and survival based on ethnicity have been described. Data in Arab population are limited. We aimed to dissect differences in BC characteristics and outcomes among patients of Maghreb versus non-Maghreb origin.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed women of Maghreb origin treated at Institut Jules Bordet for invasive BC between January 2000 and September 2018. Maghreb origin was identified by birthplace and/or first name. A sample of non-Maghreb patients was used for comparison. Multivariate models were adjusted for clinically relevant confounders.

Results: We identified 282 Maghreb-origin patients and 277 non-Maghreb origin patients. At diagnosis, Maghreb-origin patients were younger (49.3 y, interquartile range [IQR] 40.8-58.1 vs. 62 y, IQR 52.3-72.2), had larger tumors, more clinical node-positive disease (37.6 vs. 22.5%) and more frequently presented symptoms (77.5% vs. 60.9%) (all P < .001). Maghreb-origin patients had a higher proportion of grade 3 (51.3% vs. 29.2%), HER2-positive (22.5% vs. 14.2%) and triple-negative (14.2% vs. 6.6%) tumors and more frequently received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (39.4% vs. 15.5%) and axillary lymph node dissections (73.9% vs. 56.1%) (all P < .001). After a median follow-up of 7.2 years, no statistically significant differences in iDFS (adjusted HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.72-1.73) or OS (adjusted HR 1.40, 95% CI 0.81-2.42) were observed.

Conclusions: Despite the younger age and more aggressive BC, survival outcomes in patients of Maghreb vs. non-Maghreb origin did not differ. These results underscore the importance of considering ethnic minority populations to develop tailored prevention strategies and improve their inclusion in clinical trials.