Pattern of Emergency Presentation of Patients with Breast Cancer at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy affecting women in Nigeria. Presentation is usually elective. However, some patients present as an emergency with complications of the disease and its treatment. This study aimed to capture the features of this population of patients with breast cancer presenting as an emergency. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted between March 2021 and February 2022. All the patients with histologically diagnosed breast cancer presenting as an emergency were recruited into the study. Relevant information was retrieved and analysed. RESULTS: Over the study period, 34 patients were recruited. They were all females and ages ranged between 27 and 74 years of age (mean: 45.56 ± 11.71 years), and the highest incidence was in the fifth decade of life. The first symptom in all patients was a breast lump, and the duration of disease ranged between 3 and 84 months (mean: 29.21 ± 22.38 months). The right breast was most commonly involved, and invasive ductal carcinoma (no specific type) was the commonest histologic type in 88.24% of cases. Over half of the patients seen had received no treatment after establishing the diagnosis of breast cancer. For those who received treatment, radiotherapy was the least accessed form of treatment. The most common symptoms were difficulty breathing and jaundice (29.41% each), and metastatic disease was the most common diagnosis. The duration of admission ranged between 1 and 35 days, and a mortality rate of 45.45% was recorded. CONCLUSION: The most common indication for emergency presentation in patients with breast cancer was metastatic disease.