Breast diseases in Jordanian females: a study of 1000 cases

Pathological data on 1000 breast lesions obtained from Jordanian females were analyzed and compared to data available from other countries or ethnic groups. Ductal carcinoma was the most frequently encountered lesion followed by fibrocystic disease (mammary dysplasia), fibroadenoma and mastitis. The mean age of Jordanian females with ductal carcinoma was 44.5 years, and many patients presented with advanced stage of the disease as evidenced by the high frequency (74.6%) of nodal metastases in the patients who had axillary lymphadenectomy. The frequencies of medullary and mucinous (colloid) carcinoma were not greatly different from those in other countries, but lobular carcinoma had a substantially low rate of occurrence. Many patients with lactation-associated lesions such as mastitis, galactocele and lactating adenomas were noted, which is attributed to the high fertility rate in Jordan.