Background: As breast cancer is the second most prevalent cancer among women in Zambia, a histopathology report that includes all necessary information for staging and prognostication is imperative. Currently, there exists no official reporting standard within the study laboratory for evaluating breast cancer specimens.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the completeness of histopathology reports for invasive breast cancer cases at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, from 2013 to 2023, and to ascertain how varying reporting styles influence report completeness.
Methods: A  cross-sectional study was conducted on 283 randomly selected breast cancer histopathology reports. The completeness of these reports was evaluated against the standards established by the College of American Pathologists breast cancer protocols. Data management, as well as univariate and multivariate analyses, were performed using JASP, Microsoft Excel, IBM SPSS version 26, and SAS.
Results: Of the 283 reports analyzed, 215 (76%) were biopsies, and 68 (24%) were surgical specimens. Overall, 30% adhered to the completeness standards set by the College of American Pathologists. After adjusting for confounders, incomplete reporting was significantly associated with earlier time periods, particularly reports from 2013 to 2015 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.022, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.004–0.131, p < .0001); Biopsies [PJ1] obtained from non-tertiary hospitals (aOR = 0.466, 95% CI: 0.226–0.961, p = .0388) and free-text reporting (aOR = 0.149, 95% CI: 0.059–0.372, p < .0001).
Conclusions: These findings reveal substantial deficiencies in histopathological reporting. Implementing standardized reporting protocols and adopting synoptic formats may enhance report completeness and facilitate optimal patient management.