Breast cancer: evolution of the epidemiological and clinical profile in a referral oncology center in Paraná

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common malignant neoplasm among women worldwide, and disparities in staging at diagnosis between public and private healthcare systems represent a critical challenge in Brazil. This study aimed to assess the epidemiological and clinical profile of patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 2003 and 2023 at the Instituto Sul Paranaense de Oncologia in Ponta Grossa, Paraná. Methods: Data were collected from electronic medical records using a semi-structured spreadsheet, followed by statistical analysis using R software. Results: During the study period, 3,118 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer at this institution. The mean age at diagnosis was 56.23 years, with slight variations throughout the analyzed period; the most affected age group was 50 to 64 years (39.32%). Regarding histological type, the most prevalent was invasive ductal carcinoma (81.22%), followed by ductal carcinoma in situ (7.51%) and lobular carcinoma (7.32%). A statistically significant difference was observed in clinical stages at diagnosis between patients treated in the public and private systems, showing that, in advanced stages, such as clinical stage III, 34.91% of patients in the Unified Health System (SUS) were diagnosed at this stage, compared to only 18.66% in the private system. Conclusions: The epidemiological profile of the patients was consistent with that described in the literature, and no proportional increase was observed in cases among patients in younger age groups, under 40 years of age. A significant difference was identified in clinical stages at diagnosis between the public and private systems, corroborating previous findings that indicate patients in the public system are frequently diagnosed at more advanced stages, resulting in more unfavorable clinical outcomes.