Affiliations: [a] Department of Hematology-Oncology, Maroone Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic Florida 2950 Cleveland Clinic Blvd, Weston, Fl 33331, USA
| [b] Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, TX, USA
| [c] Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Foster School of Medicine, EL Paso, TX, USA
| [d] Department of Internal Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA
| [e] Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Zeina Nahleh, Department of Hematology-Oncology, Maroone Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic Florida 2950 Cleveland Clinic Blvd, Weston, Fl 33331, USA. Tel.: 945-659-5840; Fax: 954-659-5810; E-mail: nahlehz@ccf.org
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Hispanic/Latina women nationwide. Limited cancer research has been conducted in this population. El Paso, Texas is a large border city with a population of around 900,000, of which 85% are Latinos and would provide a suitable setting for this study. The aim of this study is to evaluate ethnic differences and cancer characteristics in Hispanic/latina women with breast cancer. METHODS:After IRB approval, we retrospectively analyzed the variables of patients with breast cancer treated consecutively at a large tertiary medical center in El Paso, TX between 2005–2015. Descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariable analyses were conducted. RESULTS:1,252 patients were identified. Mean age at diagnosis was 57 years. 1074 were Hispanics/Latinas (86%). When comparing Hispanics versus non-Hispanics, 31% of Hispanics compared to 24% Non-Hispanics were diagnosed at age <50 (P = 0.043). More Hispanics are uninsured (34%) compared to Non-Hispanics (25%) (p = 0.008). Hispanics presenting with advanced stages were more likely to be uninsured (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS:This analysis confirms that Hispanics/Latinas are diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age and are more commonly uninsured than Non-Hispanics. We did not observe significant differences in the prevalence of ER+, triple negative or Her2 -neu positive disease or stages at presentation between the 2 groups in this cohort, however the non-Hispanic group was constituted only 14% of the studied population. A larger multi-institutional comparative study is being conducted to confirm these findings.
Keywords: breast, cancer, Hispanic, ethnic
DOI: 10.3233/BD-170309
Journal: Breast Disease, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 147-154, 2018
