Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Despite expanding national screening and awareness initiatives over the past decade, concerns persist regarding late-stage presentation.
Objective: This study provides updated estimates of breast cancer stage-at-diagnosis in the UAE for 2018–2023 and compares these findings with previously published registry data from 2008–2012.
Methods: A retrospective registry-based study was conducted using data from Tawam Hospital, one of the UAE’s largest tertiary oncology centers and the same registry analyzed in the 2008–2012 report. All patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 2018 and 2023 were included. Sociodemographic and clinicopathological characteristics were summarized by stage at presentation (early [I–II] vs. advanced [III–IV]), and temporal trends were examined across the study period. Statistical analyses included bivariate tests for group comparisons and Cox proportional-hazards regression to identify prognostic factors.
Results: Among 2,113 patients diagnosed between 2018 and 2023, most were diagnosed at Stage II (40%) or Stage III (33%), with smaller proportions at Stage I (17%) and Stage IV (10%). Overall, 42.3% presented with advanced-stage disease (Stage III–IV), compared to 34% in the 2008–2012 cohort. The prevalence of advanced-stage presentation fluctuated during the study period, peaking in 2020 (47.1%; 95% CI: 41.8–52.5%), likely reflecting diagnostic delays during the COVID-19 pandemic (stage migration), before declining to 40.2% (95% CI: 36.0–44.6%) in 2023, suggesting recovery and progress in early detection. Advanced-stage presentation was more common among younger women (53.3% in ages 20–29; 46.5% in ages 30–39) and non-UAE nationals (44.9% vs. 32.7% among Emirati nationals). A total of 87.6% of cancer-related deaths occurred among advanced-stage diagnoses, emphasizing the prognostic impact of late presentation.
Conclusions: Advanced-stage breast cancer remains common in the UAE, but recent declines suggest progress in early detection following pandemic disruptions. Persistent disparities among younger women and expatriates underscore the need for targeted outreach, equitable access to screening, and continued strengthening of cancer registry monitoring.