Recent incidence and descriptive epidemiological survey of breast cancer in Saudi Arabia

To review and analyze the pattern of breast cancer (BC) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

A retrospective review of BC among female patients was conducted at the Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia from January 1990 to December 2014. This report contains information obtained from the Saudi Cancer Registry and from King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center.

The number of women with BC increased steadily from 1990-2010. On the basis of the number of cases, the percentage distribution of BC appears to be increasing. There were 1152 female BC cases in 2008 in comparison with 1308 in 2009, and 1473 in 2010. Breast cancer ranked first among females accounting for 27.4% of all newly diagnosed female cancers (5378) in the year 2010. The average age at the diagnosis of BC was 48; weighted average was 49.8, and range 43-52.

Among Saudi patients, there was a significant increase in the number of cases of BC, which occurs at an earlier age than in western countries. Continued vigilance, mammographic screening, and patient education are needed to establish early diagnosis and perform optimal treatment.