Nearly 13% Of Women In India With Breast Cancer Experienced Metastasis: Study

An analysis of data shows that nearly 13 per cent of over 76,000 women with breast cancer experienced metastasis, meaning the cancer spread from its original site to other parts of the body, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal. Bone was found to be the most common metastatic site. The women, analysed in the data collected under India's National Cancer Registry Programme, were diagnosed with primary breast cancer between 2009 and 2020. Researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of NCD Epidemiology, Bengaluru, also found that the risk of metastasis was higher for diagnoses during 2015-2020, compared to those during 2009-2014.

"Metastatic breast cancer in India is strongly associated with indicators of tumour burden and disease progression," they wrote.

However, a comprehensive evidence at the national-level of factors associated with metastatic breast cancer is limited, the team said.

"Among 76,356 women, metastasis occurred in 12.96 per cent, with bone as the most frequent metastatic site (2,487 [25.1 per cent])," the authors wrote.

Age was not significantly associated with metastasis, suggesting that tumour biology rather than patient age predominantly drives metastatic risk -- the result is consistent with observations from other population-based studies, they said.

"Similarly, comorbidity did not independently predict metastatic disease, in line with previous findings, although clustering of multiple metabolic comorbidities was associated with higher risk in specific subgroups, particularly Luminal B and postmenopausal women," the authors said.

A lower incidence of metastasis at diagnosis was found among patients treated in private and NGO hospitals, and those managed in general hospitals, compared to the patients in government and dedicated cancer centres.

The researchers said the result reflected disparities in access to diagnostic services, timeliness of care, and healthcare infrastructure.

Tumour burden and nodal involvement were among the strongest predictors of metastasis, they said.

A larger tumour, such as one sized more than three centimetres, and a higher tumour grade were significantly associated with metastatic disease.

The authors wrote, "Our study demonstrates that metastatic presentation in India is strongly influenced by tumour size, grade, nodal involvement, and lympho-vascular invasion, with health system context modulating the risk." They called for an expansion of community-based breast screening and streamlined referral pathways from primary and district hospitals to specialised cancer centres for strengthening early detection.

The team also suggested that scaling up of national initiatives and improving diagnostic completeness could facilitate earlier diagnosis and help reduce metastatic breast cancer burden in India.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)