A retrospective cross sectional analysis of histopathological distribution of breast cancer according to age at a tertiary care teaching hospital

Introduction: As per the WHO, there were 519,000 women who died in the year 2004 and 69% of the world's cancer deaths are due to breast cancer. The present study was conducted with the aim to determine the histological variants of breast cancer amongst females reposting to the hospital. Materials and Methods: The present descriptive study was conducted in retrospective fashion in the Department of Pathology, ESIC Medical College, Gulburga, Karnataka (India). All the data was obtained from the hospital's medical records and the identity of the subjects was kept confidential. A complete family history, medical history and clinical examination of the subjects were recorded. Details of the site of histology sample and the histopathological variant were recorded. The usual technique for fixing the specimen in formalin followed by embedding in paraffin and cutting with H and E staining was followed for all the samples. All the data obtained was arranged in a tabulated form and analyzed using SPSS software. The results were expressed as frequency distribution. Results: Majority of the cases occurred between 32-46 years of age followed by 62-76 years. There were only 3 cases diagnosed between 0-15 years age group. There were 93% cases of carcinomas. Out of these, majority (n=317) were infiltrating ductal carcinomas. In 210 cases, infiltrating lobular carcinomas were confirmed histologically. Conclusion: Breast cancer is the most frequently seen cancer amongst women. It is most commonly seen in elder age groups and hereditary plays an important role in its causation. The most commonly seen histological variant of breast cancer is infiltrative ductal carcinoma. Sarcomas are the second most common variant of breast cancer.