Factors Affecting Survival of Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer in El-Minia Governorate, Egypt

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted to determine breast cancer survival time and the association between breast cancer survival and socio-demographic and pathologic factors among women, in El-Minia, Egypt. While there has been much researches regarding prognostic factors for breast cancer but the majority of these studies were from developed countries. El-Minia has a population of approximately 4 million. To date, no research has been performed to determine breast cancer survival and the factors affecting it in El-minia.

Methods: This retrospective study used data obtained from the cancer registry in the National Institute of Oncology in El-Minia and included 1207 women diagnosed with first primary breast cancer between 1^st January 2005 and 31^st December 2009 and followed to 30^th June 2010. The association between survival and sociodemographic and pathological factors and distant metastasis at diagnosis, and treatment options was investigated using unifactorial chi-square test and multi-factorial (Cox regression) analyses. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare survival time among different groups.

Results: Median survival time was 83.8 ± 3.2. Cox regression showed that high vs low educational level (Hazard ratio (HR)= 0.35, 95% CI; 0.27–0.46), metastases to bone (HR = 3.22, 95% CI: 1.71-6.05), metastases to lung (HR= 2.314, 95% CI: 1.225-4.373), tumor size (≤ 2 cm vs ≥ 5 cm: HR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-1.8) and number of involved nodes (1 vs > 10 HR = 5.21, 95%CI: 3.1-9.01) were significantly related to survival.

Conclusions: The results showed the need to develop screening programs and standardized treatment regimens in a tax-funded health care system.

Keywords: Breast cancer, Survival, Egypt.