Socio-demographic and Haematological Determinants of Breast Cancer in a Tertiary Health Care and Teaching Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background: Breast cancer is the major cause of cancer deaths among women globally. Socio-demographic and haematological characteristics are among the determinants of breast cancer, and these characteristics are supposed to be monitored during early diagnosis and treatment of cases. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the socio-demographic and haematological profile of patients with breast cancer at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital. Methods: Case-controlled study was conducted among 230 cases and 230 controls from May 2018 to June 2019. Descriptive analysis was made to assess socio-demographic characteristics and an independent-sample t-test was performed to compare the mean haematological parameters. Results: The mean age was 42.8 + 12.1 years and 39.3 + 11.1 years for cases and controls, respectively. About 43.5% of the cases and 14.8% of the controls were not able to read and write. About 76.1% of the cases and 67.4% of the controls were married. The mean values of Haemoglobin, Red Blood cell, Packed Cell Volume for the cases were 13.1 + 1.6g/dl; 4.6 + 0.54x1012/L; and 38.7 + 4.5 %, respectively. These were significantly lower than those of the controls (14.0 + 1.3g/dl, 4.8 + 0.47 x 1012/L, 40.5 + 3.5%, respectively). Mean platelet count was higher among the cases, whereas total White Blood cell count was almost similar. Conclusion and recommendations: The majority of the cases were less than 40 years of age and were not able to read and write. Most of the RBC parameters of cases were significantly lower than the controls. Therefore, attention should be given to exposed groups and those with the designated haematological abnormalities. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2020; 35(2):000-000] Keywords: Breast cancer, Haematological parameters, Socio-demographic factors, Ethiopia