Diagnostic and Prognostic Aspects of Breast Cancer in Young Women at the Thiès Regional Hospital Center, Senegal

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer in young women represents an emerging public health concern. Its impact is often poorly understood and underestimated. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic aspects of breast cancer in women aged 40 years or younger who were treated at the Regional Hospital Center of Thiès. Patients and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from January 5, 2017, to June 8, 2023. It included 101 women aged 40 years or younger with histologically confirmed breast cancer who received care at the Regional Hospital Center of Thiès. Results: The mean age of the patients was 34 years, and the mean delay to consultation was 10.53 months. The disease was predominantly locally advanced: 56.4% of patients had T4 disease, 73.3% had lymph node involvement, and 24.75% had metastases at diagnosis. Invasive ductal carcinoma of no special type was the most frequent histological type, accounting for 96.04% of cases, and SBR grade II was observed in 62.4%. Immunohistochemistry identified luminal B disease in six patients (5.94%) and triple-negative disease in four (3.96%). All patients received chemotherapy; 89.11% received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 7.9% received adjuvant chemotherapy. Surgery was performed in 44 patients (43.56%). Radiotherapy was administered to 14 patients (13.86%), and hormone therapy was indicated for nine patients (8.9%). Thirty patients had died by the end of the study. Overall survival was 65.6% at 3 years and 60.1% at 5 years. Conclusion: Breast cancer is increasingly prevalent among young women and presents with a more aggressive profile and a poorer prognosis than in older women. Management remains challenging and may be complicated by diagnostic delays, poor therapeutic adherence, and a persistently low survival rate.