Breast cancer at Hôpital Principal De Dakar. A descriptive study of 46 cases.

Introduction. Breast cancer is a public health problem. It is the second most common cancer in Senegal after cervical cancer according to Gobocan 2020. The authors conducted a descriptive study over 5 years at Hôpital Principal de Dakar that included all patients with breast cancer, whose diagnosis was made by anatomo-pathological examination. Methods. The objective of this study was to describe epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and evolution aspects of breast cancer at Hôpital Principal de Dakar. Results. 46 patients were collected. The mean age was 46 years. There were 45 women and one man. A family history of breast cancer was noted in relatives in 25% of cases (N=11). Patients had a good general condition in 39 cases. A nodule or breast mass was found in 93% of cases (N=41). Mastodynia was noted in 5 patients and 4 patients had a breast ulceratio. Six women presented with an alteration of general condition at diagnosis. The anatomo-pathological examination of the breast biopsy found an infiltrating ductal carcinoma in 45 cases. On immunohistochemistry, 50% of patients had positive OR and 52% had positive PR. The HER2 oncoprotein was overexpressed in 33% of cases. It was a luminal A tumor in 30 cases, a luminal B tumor in 12 cases and a triple negative cancer in 5 cases. 72% of cases (N=32) received neoadjuvant chemotherapy; adjuvant chemotherapy in 48% of patients (N=18) and palliative chemotherapy in 7 cases. 26% of patients received (N=14) hormone therapy with anti-aromatases and Tamoxifen. Radiotherapy was performed in 54% of cases (N=25). Mastectomy with axillary dissection was performed in 75% (N=32) of cases including 2 quadrantectomies. The evolution was marked by 14 deaths (33%), 7 patients were cured after 10 years of follow-up, 7 patients were in remission after a median follow-up of 5 years; 10 patients developed metachronous metastases. Eight patients were lost to follow-up (17%) of cases.