An audit of excised breast lumps in Ghanaian women.
BACKGROUND
In our environment, all patients presenting with breast masses insist on complete surgical removal as the preferred treatment option acceptable to them. We report on a 6-year prospective study of the clinical and pathological features of these breasts masses excised for histopathological examination.


METHODS
Details of all consecutive women referred to the surgical out-patients' clinic of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital from January 1998 to December 2003 inclusive, for clinical assessment and excision of breast masses were prospectively recorded. Open surgical biopsies were performed on these masses and the pathological features recorded.


RESULTS
A total of 443 patients were reported. Approximately 80% of the women were 40 years old or younger There were 355 (80.9%) benign breast lesions and 88 (19.1%) carcinomas. The principal histopathological types were fibroadenoma, fibrocystic breast changes and carcinoma occurring in 47.7%, 23.9% and 19.1% of the patients respectively. The cumulative frequency at >30 years for fibroadenoma and carcinoma was 0.81 and 0.11 respectively. No carcinomas were found below 26 years. There was a significant association between the ages of the patients and the type of breast disease (X2 = 20.9 P <0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Discrete breast masses in Ghanaian women are mostly due to benign breast disease. The risk of cancer increases with the age of the patient especially after 30 years.
Ohene-Yeboah
Michael O K
MO
Department of Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, KNUST University Post Office, Kumasi, Ghana.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D018226:Fibroadenoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D005348:Fibrocystic Breast Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D005869:Ghana; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies