Breast Cancer Prevalence and Management in Hispanic Women: Comparison to Black and White Women at a Regional Medical Center

Abstract

Background: While stage and grade of breast cancer determines prognosis and outcome, race also impacts survival. While Black and White women have been studied, data for Hispanic women is sparse. Methods: Age-matched Hispanic, Black and White women diagnosed/treated with breast cancer at a single institution were retrospectively evaluated regarding prevalence, treatments and outcomes. Results: Overall, 120 women were included in the study (40 per race). No demographic/histologic variables were significantly different among races. ER+/PR+ tumors were less frequent in Hispanics than Whites, but higher than Blacks. Prevalence of triple negative breast cancers in Hispanic women was between the Black and White cohorts (p=0.025 and p=0.011, respectively). Stage II and III diagnoses (p=0.025) were more frequent in Hispanics and they opted for chemotherapy more often (p=0.034); however, there were no significant differences in outcomes and mortality among groups. When compared to the State tumor registry, our population had more LCIS diagnoses (p=0.01), earlier stages (I p=0.02; II p=0.006), received more treatment overall (radiation p=0.02, chemotherapy p=0.0001) and experienced better survival (p=0.004). In comparing the study population to the SEER database, higher rates of LCIS and IDC and lower rates of ILC and mixed histology in the study population were noted. LCIS and IDC were more prevalent in our cohort than SEER data (p=0.005, p=0.05, respectively), although we noted less ILC and mixed histology (p=0.03 and p=0.04). Conclusion: These data are the first reported for Hispanics in our state and highlight the need for larger studies to better serve this growing demographic.

Keywords

• Hispanic ethnicity
• Breast cancer
• Disparities
• State versus SEER