Survival Outcomes among Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2- (HER2-) Positive Breast Cancer Patients at Kenyatta National Hospital

INTRODUCTION: HER2-positive breast cancer is associated with poor outcomes and higher mortality rates than other breast cancer subtypes. The advent of trastuzumab has significantly changed the natural history of HER2-positive breast cancer. However, it is not an affordable treatment option in sub-Saharan African countries. Because of the expense, most patients in our setting do not receive trastuzumab for the optimal control of their disease. Additionally, there is a lack of comprehensive data about the survival outcomes of HER2-positive breast cancer patients in our setting. The present study was aimed at determining the survival outcomes among HER2-positive breast cancer patients at the Oncology Department of Kenyatta National Hospital. METHODS: A hospital-based retrospective cohort design was used to evaluate the survival outcomes among patients with HER2-positive breast cancer treated from 1(st) January 2015 to 31(st) December 2019 at Kenyatta National Hospital. A total of 50 eligible HER2-positive breast cancer patients were included in the study. In the predesigned data abstraction tool, data were collected by reviewing the medical records of the patients. The data were entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 27 software. The mean survival time was estimated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. RESULTS: The mean age was 45.44 ± 12.218 years, with a majority (80%) of the patients being below 60 years. Most patients (64%) had advanced-stage disease. The median follow-up time for patients with curative stages of breast cancer was 41 months, while the median follow-up time for those with the advanced incurable disease was 8.5 months. The 4-year survival rate was 62.5% for those curable-stage HER2-positive breast cancer compared to 5.6% for those with metastatic disease at presentation. CONCLUSION: The 4-year survival rate for both early-stage and advanced-stage HER2-positive breast cancer in our setting is suboptimal when compared to existing outcome data from health care systems where trastuzumab is more widely available.