Locally advanced breast cancer in Jamaica: prevalence, disease characteristics and response to preoperative therapy

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2014;15(7):3323-6. doi: 10.7314/apjcp.2014.15.7.3323.

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Jamaican women. Locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) is associated with aggressive biology and poor prognosis, and has a predilection for African-American women. In this retrospective review, we assessed the prevalence of LABC as a breast cancer presentation in a population of mainly Afro-centric ethnicity, and determined disease characteristics and response to pre-operative chemotherapy. LABC was prevalent (20%), and had a low pathological response rate to pre-operative chemotherapy, with a high risk of disease recurrence. Increased utilization of breast cancer screening may help detect cancer at less advanced stages, and optimizing pre-operative chemotherapy is recommended to improve response rates and ultimately survival.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Black or African American
  • Breast / pathology
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Breast Neoplasms / epidemiology*
  • Breast Neoplasms / surgery
  • Breast Neoplasms, Male / epidemiology
  • Early Detection of Cancer
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Jamaica / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoadjuvant Therapy
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / epidemiology*
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Preoperative Care
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents