IARC 60th Anniversary - 19-21 May 2026
Session : 21/05/26 - Posters
Breast Cancer in rural Kenya: Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes Among Patients on Follow-Up at a tertiary hospital in Western Kenya, 2016 – 202
NG'ONG'A A. 1,2,3, OGINGO J. 1, BITTA C. 1,2,4, OGUNBAYO O. 3, MENEN R. 5,6
1 Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching & Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), Kisumu;, Kisumu, Kenya; 2 College of Surgeons of East, Central & Southern Africa (COSECSA);, Arusha, Tanzania; 3 University of Edinburgh/Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh; , Edinburgh, United Kingdom; 4 School of Medicine – Maseno University, Kisumu, Kenya; 5 Tiba Foundation, Boise, United States; 6 St Luke’s Hospital, Boise, Idaho, United States
Background: Breast cancer in Western Kenya presents a significant public health burden due to late-stage diagnoses and limited data. This study aimed to describe sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, and treatment outcomes among breast cancer patients at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), informing care aligned with WHO and national cancer control strategies.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 188 female breast cancer patients managed at JOOTRH between 2016 and 2023. Sociodemographic factors, clinical attributes, tumor biology, and treatment outcomes were analyzed using descriptive and analytical methods. We report t-tests and chi-square tests to evaluate for differences in continuous and categorical variables, respectively. We conducted Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression to assess differences in survival probabilities and independent predictors of survival between pre-and-postmenopausal women (<50 vs. ≥50 years). We report log-rank test and adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) with their corresponding 95% CIs and p-values. P-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results: Mean patient age was 60.64 years; most were rural (71.28%), had limited education (81.91%), were unemployed (71.28%), and uninsured (49.47%). Patients averaged 4.2 facility visits, with a mean symptom-to-diagnosis time of 10.76 months; 68.09% were diagnosed after six months. Advanced-stage disease (Stage III/IV) was common (71.81%), with invasive ductal carcinoma (69.15%) and Luminal A subtype (53.72%) most frequent. Mastectomy (59.04%) and chemotherapy (84.04%) were common treatments; radiotherapy use was low (14.36%). Overall mortality was 37.77%, significantly lower in women <50 years (25.57%) than ≥50 years (44.92%) (p=0.0125). Luminal A (aHR 0.07, p=0.002) and mastectomy (aHR 0.22, p=0.04) predicted reduced mortality. Median survival for ≥50 years was 26 months; unreached for <50 years.
Conclusion: Breast cancer at JOOTRH is marked by late presentation, delays, and socioeconomic barriers. Targeted community awareness, early detection, and improved treatment access are urgently needed to reduce mortality.