Factors That Affect the Survival of Young Female Patients Diagnosed With Breast Cancer at Kenyatta National Hospital

Abstract

Introduction Breast cancer incidence has been increasing in developing countries, being diagnosed at a younger age as compared to developed countries. Various factors have been implicated to affect the outcome of young age breast cancer including tumour biology, stage at presentation, genetics, and age. Objective To determine factors that affect the survival of young female patients diagnosed with breast cancer at KNH Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of 84 female patients aged ≤40 years diagnosed with breast cancer between 2018 and 2019 and followed up for three years at KNH. Clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes were extracted from the patient's medical records. Survival functions and plots were utilized to determine the 3 years survival rate. Cox regression was used to estimate predictors of survival. Results The study enrolled 84 patients with breast cancer. The median age at diagnosis was 35 years. Invasive carcinoma NOS was the most common (94%). Most breast cancer cases were in the late stages (III and IV). The most common molecular subtype was Luminal A (46.4%). Overall mortality was 59.5%. Patients diagnosed with stage III and IV had 2.2 times and 9.7 times respectively higher risk of mortality. Triple-negative patients had the highest risk of mortality. Stage IV (p = 0.001) and Triple-negative (p = 0.026) were statistically significantly associated with mortality in the multivariate Cox regression model. Overall survival rates at three and five years were 68.8% and 37.2%. Conclusion Most patients presented with advanced disease with an associated increased risk of mortality. Stage 4 and triple-negative subtypes were significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality