Objective: To determine the frequency of gynaecological and breast cancers among women and to study their risk factors and diagnostic aspects at the Institut Curie of Dakar.
Patients and method: This retrospective study included all cancers seen at the Institute in 2001. Epidemiological and clinical variables were collected from the patients' medical records and analysed.
Results: This study showed that of all 786 cancers in women, 507 were gynaecological or breast cancers. Cancer of the uterine cervix accounted for 240 cases (47.3%), followed by 213 cancers of the breast (42%), 35 of the ovaries (6.9%), 10 of the corpus uteri (2%) and 7 of the vulva (1.4%). Mean age was 49.9 years old. There was a statistically significant (p<0.05) between primary tumour sites and all of the following: age at menarche, age at first sexual relations, and number of sexual partners. Mean time until consultation for all patients was 8.24 months and 96% had clinical signs before diagnosis. The histological confirmation rate was 73%. Local or regional tissue involvement was noted in 60% of cases.
Conclusion: Gynaecological and breast cancers are frequent in Dakar and have the characteristics common to cancers in developing countries. Further efforts are needed to study their risk factors and effective screening for them.