title: Breast cancer in a multi-ethnic Asian setting: results from the Singapore-Malaysia hospital-based breast cancer registry.
abstract: Two hospital-based breast cancer databases (University Malaya Medical Center, Malaysia [n = 1513] and National University Hospital, Singapore [n = 2545]) were merged into a regional registry of breast cancer patients diagnosed between 1990 and 2007. A review of the data found 51% of patients diagnosed before the age of 50 years. and 72% percent of the women were Chinese followed by Malays (16%), Indians (8%), and other races (4%). Median tumor size at presentation was 26 mm and about 25% of patients presented with TNM stage III or IV disease. Most tumors were of ductal histology (87%). Fifty-seven percent of tumors were estrogen receptor positive and 40% were poorly differentiated. Of those patients who had surgery, 70% had mastectomy while 30% had breast conserving surgery. Overall, chemotherapy was administered to 56% of patients and hormonal treatment to 60%. Five-year overall survival was 82.5% in patients with TNM stage 0 to stage II cancer, and 30.2% in those with later stages.
authors.affiliation: Julius Centre University of Malaya, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ovenjjay@gmail.com
authors.forename: Nirmala Bhoo
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Pathy
authors.forename: Cheng Har
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yip
authors.forename: Nur Aishah
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Taib
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hartman
authors.forename: Nakul
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saxena
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Iau
authors.forename: Awang M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bulgiba
authors.forename: Soo Chin
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Siew Eng
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: John E L
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Helena M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Verkooijen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D008296:Malaysia; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012846:Singapore; D055815:Young Adult