Original scientific paper
Effects of War Aggression in Croatia on Histopathological Manifestations of Breast Cancer in Defined Population of One County
Josip Fajdić
Damir Buković
Mladen Belicza
Mario Habek
Damir Gugić
Iva Hojsak
Hrvoje Silovski
Anđelina Bokić
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to determine the differences in epidemiological and
clinical manifestations of breast cancer during the war in Croatia and in peacetime.
660 consecutive patients were recorded (656 female and 4 male patients) from Po`e{ko
-Slavonska County. The changes in histopathological features were recorded in war period
(1991–1995, 156 patients) and through two control periods, before the war (1981–1990,
282 patients) and after the war (1995–2000, first five months, 223 patients). The relative
predictive value was calculated using
2-test. The survival was calculated according to
Kaplan-Meier analysis of survival. The histopathological analysis showed an equal distribution
of noninvasive cancer (in situ cancer) across periods. In the war period, the
level of the most common invasive cancer, ductal breast cancer, was lower (57.7%), compared
to control periods (71.2% : 63.7% : 68.2%). Opposite to that, invasive lobular cancer
was more common in the war period (3.2%), compared to control periods (0.7%–
1.3%). Furthermore, mixed cancer was also increased in the war period (7.1%) compared
to control periods (0.7%–2.2%), as was medullar cancer (10.9% vs. 5.5%–5.9%).
The study showed statistically significant differences in the survival of patients with
different histopathological diagnoses (Log Rank= 47.49, df=7, p<0.0001), while the histological
grade of tumor, as a predictive factor was not proved to be statistically significant
(p>0.05). This study confirmed the influence of war on histopathological incidence
of some forms of breast cancer.
Keywords
breast cancer; histopathology; war; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
28165
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2003.
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