Survival in patients with contralateral breast cancer Kamishov S.V., Izrailbekova K.Sh. Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Oncology and Radiology of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent. Survival data are not readily available in many developing countries due to inadequate information systems to collect reliable data on cancer mortality. Not all cancer patients die from cancer. Thus, cancer and other causes of death act independently or simultaneously. A cohort study was conducted to identify risk factors for contralateral breast cancer and to determine whether there was any significant difference in survival among patients with unilateral breast cancer (UBC) and patients with primary contralateral breast cancer (PCBC).
The study group consisted of patients with breast carcinoma as the first invasive primary cancer, diagnosed in 2012-2019 (n = 3492) at the Republican Special Medical Center for Medical and Rehabilitation of Uzbekistan, Tashkent). They were under surveillance until December 31, 2019. All patients undergoing treatment are monitored in accordance with the observation protocols of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Oncology and Radiology of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan In this study, the follow-up loss was 10% in UBC patients and 7.5% in PCBC patients.
A total of 3492 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed at the RSPMCHR from 2012-2019. The analysis included all patients with UBC who did not develop a second cancer (n = 3163) and patients with PCBC who developed contralateral breast cancer (n = 67). The relative survival rates between younger, middle-aged, and older women with PCBC were significantly different from each other (p = 0.001). The differences in the relative survival rates of young, middle-aged and older women with UBC were not statistically significant (p = 0.4).
Despite the small sample size, the present study shows that early diagnosis has a survival advantage in breast cancer. In addition to organizing mammographic screening, in developing countries, educational programs are needed to raise awareness of cancer in order to detect breast cancer at an early stage and reduce mortality.
Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Oncology and Radiology of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent.
Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Oncology and Radiology of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent.
The author has declared no conflicts of interest.