Histological Characteristics of Breast Lesions in Uyo, Nigeria

The breast is a common site for pathologies which predominantly involves the female breast. While benign diseases are more common, malignancies are of utmost concern for the patient, clinician, and the pathologist.

The aim of this study is to audit the clinical and pathological features of patients with breast lumps in a tertiary center in Nigeria.

This is a retrospective observational study of histologically diagnosed breast lumps over a period of 8 years.

Lumps were common in the 20-39 years age group (>50%), with a mean age of 34.95 years. Females accounted for 759 (98.1%) of cases. In 467 (60.4%) cases, the lumps measured >5 cm and only 175 (22.6%) cases presented to the surgeon within 12 weeks of noticing a breast lump. Ninety-one (11.8%) cases also presented with axillary lymph nodes, breast pain 79 (10.2%), peau d' orange 56 (7.2%), and ulceration 47 (6.1%). Benign breast disease (BBD) occurred in 401 (51.8%) cases and malignant breast diseases (MBD) occurred in 344 (44.3%) of cases.

BBD and MBD are common among the young in Uyo. Lumps are the primary complaint and late presentation is the norm.