RESUMEN
Background: Breast cancer mortality is high in Sudan and most patients are detected at later stages of the disease due to the lack of awareness and absence of screening programs. This study aimed to determine the pattern and frequency of breast cancer among patients presenting with palpable breast lumps within one year duration. Settings and Design: As a part of the continuous development in cancer management, this descriptive longitudinal study was conducted in Khartoum, Sudan. Methods and Materials: We obtained information (patient's personal data) and Fine-Needle Aspiration (FNA) materials, for occurrence of 200 breast lesions in patients. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed by using a computer SPSS program. Results: The diagnoses of the 200 breast lesions were as follows: 68 (34%) were malignant, 56 cases (28%) were fibroadenoma, 23 cases (11.5%) were fibrocystic change, 22 cases (11%) were inflammatory lesions (including mastitis and abscess formation), 12 cases (6%) were benign cysts and the remaining 19 patients (9.5%) were with lactation changes (8 cases), lipoma (6 cases), gynecomastia (3 cases) and phyllodes tumor (2 cases). Regarding gender, only 6 patients (0.03%) were males of whom 3 (50%) were diagnosed with gynecomastia. Conclusions: The frequency of advanced breast cancer among patients with breast lesions is high, in this subset of patients, which signals the urgency for implementation of breast screening programs.