Jojo Vattappalllil Joseph, Ranjith Bhaskar
BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women with increasing incidence. Mortality is higher in India compared to developed countries. A thorough knowledge of the epidemiological profile is imperative to formulate control strategies for a population. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a 2-year retrospective study on diagnosed cases of breast cancer in central Kerala. Demographic data and risk factors are collected on a proforma and analysed. RESULTS All 150 patients studied were females and most belonged to the age group of 40-60 years. A breast lump was the commonest presentation (88%), most commonly, on the right side (70.6%) with a median duration of symptoms of 11 months. 46.6% patients had AJCC TNM stage III at presentation. 5.3% had a positive family history. Hormone replacement therapy was present in 2.6% and 6% had a history of prior breast malignancy. CONCLUSION Breast cancer in Kerala is more biologically aggressive disease than in the west with a widely different spectrum of presentation and behaviour. Compounding this is a late presentation in an advanced stage. More cases need to be detected early with routine health check-ups and periodic screening of high-risk groups for better disease control.
