clinical, biological and pathological characteristics of breast cancer patients at the taleghani university hospital in kermanshah, iran

introduction: breast cancer is the most common of all malignant neoplasms in women worldwide. this study aims to demonstrate certain biological, clinical and pathological characteristics of patients treated at the university hospital oncology unit. methods: a descriptive study was conducted during a period of 2 years, from october 2003 through september of 2005 in kermanshah, iran. 555 patients were selected to participate, representing all the cases diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. data was gathered according to questionnaires and pa-tients’ records. results: the mean age at which breast cancer was first diagnosed was 46.5±11.6 year of age with 89% of tumors being infiltrating intraductal carcinoma. the majority of the patient population had tumors stage ii and grade ii. mean tumor size was 2.14±0.57 centimeters. 58% of the tumors were localized to the upper outer quadrant of the affected breast and 89% of the patients received modified radical mastectomies with almost a 92% two year survival. conclusion: highest prevalence of breast cancer was recorded in the 40-49 (mean 46) years of age group which compares favorably with studies done under similar circumstances. tumor size, grade, stage, tumor marker analysis, metastasis and other disease characteristics portray patient population tendencies for breast cancer patients in kermanshah, iran.