Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Management in an Area of Protracted Conflict: A Case Series from Northwest Syria
Abstract
Background Breast cancer remains a significant public health challenge in conflict-affected regions. This study aims to investigate the impact of armed conflict on the burden of breast cancer in female patients in northwest Syria, focusing on clinical presentations, management, diagnosis, access to care, and treatment outcomes. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of breast cancer patients diagnosed at the Idlib Oncology Center between March 2017 and January 2022. Data were extracted from clinical files and analyzed in R. The study was conducted at the Idlib Oncology Center, the main referral center for cancer care in northwest Syria, serving a population of 4.6 million. Results A total of 192 patients were included, with a median age of 45.5 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 40-56). Of 108 patients, 56.5% were internally displaced. Most patients were diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma (81.3%), and the majority presented at stages II and III (34.8 and 59%, respectively). Among 192 patients, 95.8% underwent surgery, with 96.6% having a mastectomy and 90.7% receiving chemotherapy. The median interval from symptom onset to diagnosis was 100.5 days, that from diagnosis to surgery was 14.5 days, and that from surgery to radiotherapy was 229 days. No significant effect was observed for chemical weapon exposure or family loss on survival. Displacement was associated with significantly lower predicted survival ( p = 0.0038; 95% confidence interval [CI]:…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case series, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health. Reported size: 192 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- A Coupled SYSTEM of Intracellular Ca 2+ Clocks and Surface Membrane Voltage Clocks Controls the Timekeeping Mechanism of the Heart’s Pacemaker
- A Comprehensive Review on the Therapeutic Potential of Curcuma longa Linn. in Relation to its Major Active Constituent Curcumin
- Cancer epigenetics: Moving forward
- Current developments in LC-MS for pharmaceutical analysis
- Myricetin: A comprehensive review on its biological potentials
- A Computational Systems Biology Software Platform for Multiscale Modeling and Simulation: Integrating Whole-Body Physiology, Disease Biology, and Molecular Reaction Networks
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.