title: Breast cancer in Ghanaian women: what has changed?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate breast cancer in Ghanaian women and to compare these findings with those of previous studies by using histopathologic data.
  
  
  METHODS
  A review of all breast cancer specimens from January 2005 through December 2009 in our institution was conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 4,109 female breast specimens reviewed, 1,342 (32.7%) were malignant. Mean (SD) patient age was 50.3 (13.3) years, and mean size of the primary tumors was 4.5 cm. Eighteen (1.3%) specimens were malignant phyllodes tumors. Significant positive associations were found between size of the primary tumor and histologic type (P = .01), histologic grade (P = .001), nodal involvement (P < .001), and TNM stage (P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than 3 decades after the first publication of breast cancer in Ghanaian women, patients are still presenting with large clinically and histologically advanced invasive cancers.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Pathology, University of Ghana Medical School, PO Box 77, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana. maadelle@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Der Muonir
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Edmund
authors.forename: Simon B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Naaeder
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tettey
authors.forename: Richard K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Gyasi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D003557:Phyllodes Tumor / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Breast cancer; Ghana; Phyllodes tumor; Primary tumor size