A Fourteen-Year Review of Breast Pathology at a rural referral center in western Kenya.

Background: Breast cancer has a low incidence in Africa compared with other continents. Of breast cancer reported in Africa, middle and eastern Africa is reported with the lowest incidence. In general, there is a paucity of information about breast cancer in Africa. Breast cancer evaluation and treatment is plagued with inadequate resource and screening facility throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, it is difficult to adequately assess incidence or prevalence without appropriate cancer or death registries. To our knowledge, no data exists for breast cancer treated in rural Kenya.
Methods: Review of all surgical pathology reports was performed from January 31, 1993 to August 31, 2007 at Tenwek Hospital, a 300 bed referral center located in Bomet, Kenya. Records were searched for any breast specimen or specimen related to breast disease such as metastatic breast disease.
Results: For the studied period, a total of 118 breast cancers were identified from pathology report records. Men accounted for 13 (11.02%) of all breast cancers. The average age for men was 69 years (std 10.6). The average age of women (n=105) was 51.2 years (std 15.6). The difference between the mean ages among men and women was statistically significant (p=0.000195). Grades were listed for only 55 of 118 specimens. Grade 3 was recorded in 61.8% (34/55). Women, aged 50 years or less, comprised 59.3% of all women recorded ages. In females, Grade 1 occurred in 7.1%, Grade 2 in 39.3%, and Grade 3 in 53.6%. Average age for Grade 1 histology is 37.5 years (std 2.1), Grade 2 average was 38.3 years (std 5.9) and Grade 3 average age was 40.8 years (std 5.7). The majority of males had IDC (12/13) with one case of NHL and melanoma of the breast.