The median age at diagnosis was 50 years (interquartile range: 44–59 years), the youngest patient was 27 years old and the oldest was 92 years old. Between 2003 and 2006, there were 147 new cases of breast cancer, which corresponded to a crude incidence rate of 36.7 per 100,000 women (95% confidence interval [CI], 30.8–42.6). The standardized incidence rate was 47.1 per 100,000 women (95% CI, 39.0–55.2). Overall breast cancer represents 27% of all cancers in women. The incidence of breast cancer grew significantly after 40 years of age and peaked at 211.2 per 100,000 women between 45 and 54 years and then decreases after 55 years of age (Figure 1).
The median age at death from breast cancer was 52 years (interquartile range: 46–64 years), the youngest patient was 28 years old and the oldest was 85 years old. In French Guiana, breast cancer is the first case of cancer related death in women and the 4th cause of cancer-related death in the global population. The crude mortality rate by breast cancer was 8.0 per 100,000 women (95% CI, 5.2–10.8). The standardized mortality rate was 11.0 deaths per 100,000 women (95% CI, 7.0–15.1).
Histoprognostic grading according to Scarff Bloom and Richardson’s classification (SBR) showed that 12% were SBRI (good prognosis), 44% were SBRII (intermediate prognosis), and 34% were SBRIII (unfavourable prognosis). For 10% the data was unavailable.
The staging was assigned to 1 of 5 categories: the staging at the time of diagnosis showed that 20% of T1N0M0 (tumour ≤ 2 cm, node-negative), 20% of T2–3N0M0 (tumour ≥ 2 cm and ≤ 5 cm, node-negative), 39% of T1–3 N + M0 (tumour > 5 cm, node-positive, regardless of the number and anatomic level of the involved nodes in the axilla), 5% of T4N×M0 (any size with extension to the skin or the thorax wall, regardless of nodal status), 9% of M1 (metastatic and unspecified stage). Between 2003 and 2006, 8% of breast cancer cases were in situ lesions.
Over 96% of women benefited from treatment within 8 weeks, among which 64% outside of French Guiana. Within 4 months following the diagnosis, surgery concerned 76% of treated patients (among whom 73% outside of French Guiana), chemotherapy 54% (among whom 78% outside of French Guiana), radiotherapy for 8% (always outside of French Guiana), and hormone therapy for 9% (among whom 70% outside of French Guiana). Eighty four percent of surgical interventions were considered to be curative, the limits of the surgery were free of any remaining tumour.