Overall survival of females with breast cancer in the National Cancer Institute, University of Gezira, Sudan

Breast cancer represents 20% of all cancer cases registered in the National Cancer Institute [NCI], University of Gezira, Sudan. New cases of breast cancer presented during the period from January 2001 to December 2001 were included in this study The objective was to estimate the prognosis of breast cancer in [NCI] in terms of 5 years survival. The data were collected mainly from the hospital records. In cases of missed data, addresses of kin provided in the hospital records were contacted to find out the survival status of the patients. Data were analyzed according to two sets of variables; patients related variables and tumor-related variables. Kaplan-Meier method was used to determine the overall survival curve. Totally, 64 patients were evaluated for the study. Of them, 41 [64%] patients presented with disease stage 3 and 4. The mean of follow-up duration was 21.5 months, while the median was 10.5 months. The total number of deaths was 41; those who died in the hospital were 6, representing only 14.6% of the total deaths. The median overall survival period for the population of the study was 40 months and the cumulative survival probability was 38%. The majority of the patients who presented with advanced-stage disease seem to account for the poor overall survival reported in this study. Early detection of breast cancer by breast self-examination and physician breast examination should be encouraged in Sudan to improve treatment results in breast cancer

Surgical management of male breast cancer patients referred to the national cancer institute: University of Gezira; the forgotten lesson

Male breast cancer [MBC] is a rare disease accounting for about 1% of breast cancer patients worldwide. There is a lack of data about MBC patients and their management in Sudan. Medical records of all cancer patients treated at the Department of Oncology, National Cancer Institute-University of Gezira [NCI-UG], Wad Medani, Gezira State, Sudan, in the period from April 1999 to December 2010, were reviewed with regard to MBC. Variables assessed were individual, clinical characteristics, and initial surgical treatment. There were 1,505 [19.2%, 1505/7836] Sudanese breast cancer patients treated at the NCI-UG from April 1999 to December 2010. The MBC frequency was 2.3% [34/1505]; all were included in the current study. Eighteen patients underwent upfront surgery and these patients formed the subjects for the current study. Mastectomy and axillary clearance [AC] was performed for 11 [32.4%] patients. The rest- 7 patients- underwent total mastectomy only. The incidence of positive surgical margins is remarkable [27%]. Only one of those with positive surgical margin was subjected to re-excision. Among those who underwent AC only two had adequate axillary lymph nodes clearance. The results have been compared with similar studies and showed similar approach in management with minor differences These results indicated inadequate surgical management and urgent needs for improvement in the treatment of this rare type of cancer

Incidence of anaemia in female breast cancer patients attending the national cancer institute, Wad Medani

Anaeia is a public health problem that affects populations in both rich and poor countries. Although the primary cause is iron deficiency, it is seldom present in isolation. More frequently it coexists with a number of other causes, such as malaria, parasitic infection, nutritional deficiencies and haemoglobin apathies. That was the people and female in Sudan suffered from it. Anaemia has a high prevalence in patients with cancer. The aim of this study was to find the incidence of anaemia in new cases of Sudanese female breast cancer patients attending the National Cancer Institute [NCI], Gazira State, Sudan. The study was performed on 250 female breast cancer patients mean age 45.99 +/- 0.82 [age range between 15-70 years]. The study period was from May 2005 to June 2007. The haemoglobin level for anaemia was measured by SYSMEX-KX21M. It was found that 144 [58.8%] of the female breast cancer patients presented with anaemia, 65[26.4%] of them were in the child-bearing age group 15-40. The degree of anaemia varied between moderate to severe [grade II to grade IV]. In this study, it was also found that a considerable number of cases 200[80.0%] were from the rural area. 44[17.6%] of the patients were found to be underweight, 31 of them were anaemic. While 105[42%] of patients were overweight and obese, 52 of them were anaemic. It is concluded that the incidence of anaemia in newly diagnosed Sudanese female breast cancer patients presented at NCI is association presentation with advanced disease stage. It is also related to the age, state of nutrition and social economical factors. Early cancer detection which leads to effective treatment and reduced complication of diseases included anaemia is recommended

Burkitt's lymphoma of the breast and ovary, case report

A 17 year old Sudanese female with breast lump and ovarian mass proved to be Burkitt's lymphoma of the breast and ovary. She received 8 cycles of CHOP chemotherapy and Intrathecal methotrexate and achieved complete response. Three years after treatment she is well without recurrence. A lymphoma should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of a breast tumor, especially in very young patients. It needs a different work-up and treatment

Patterns of childhood cancer in children admitted to the institute of nuclear medicine, molecular biology and oncology [INMO], Wad Medani, Gezira State

Cancers form one of the major causes of death in children between the ages of one and 15 years. They differ markedly from adult cancers in their nature, distribution and prognosis. The patterns of childhood cancers in America and Europe are almost the same, with leukemia and central nervous system tumors accounting for over one-half of the new cases. In contrast, lymph oma is the most common prevailing cancer of this age group in Africa. The objective of this study is to determine the patterns of childhood cancers in Gezira State, Central Sudan. It is a retrospective study using hospital records. All children with cancer, aged 1 - 15 years diagnosed by means of histological or cytological examination admitted to the Institute of Nuclear Medicine, M and lecyfar Biology and Oncology from May 1999 - December 2004 were included in the study. The results showed a pattern of childhood lymphoma as the most common cancer [42.8%] followed by acute lymphoblastic leukemia [19.8%] and kidney tumor [12.8%]. The prevalence of cancer was found to be higher among boys [64. 7%] than girls [35.3%] with a rate of 1.8:1. Most of the children admitted with cancer were from rural areas [66.1%] compared to [33.9%] from urban areas. Lymphoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and bone tumor commonly occurred in children above 5 years in contradistinction to kidney tumor and retinoblastoma which was prevalent in children less than 5.years of age