Indigent breast cancer patients among all racial and ethnic groups present with more advanced disease compared with nationally reported data

Background: This study examines the epidemiologic and pathologic characteristics of indigent breast cancer patients followed up in a public city hospital in comparison to national standards. Methods: A prospective oncology database was queried to identify all patients presenting with primary breast cancer. Medical records of 188 patients identified between March 1997 and May 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. Pathologic and epidemiologic data were compared with 1998 data reported by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Results: Among the patient population 10% were Caucasian, 13% African-American, 49% Hispanic, 25% Chinese, and 6% were of other background. The majority of patients were uninsured. Indigent patients within each ethnic group presented with more advanced disease when compared with patients reported by SEER. Conclusions: Indigent patients among all ethnic and racial backgrounds present with more advanced disease when compared with national statistics reported by SEER. The majority of these patients is uninsured and would benefit from more aggressive education, screening, detection methods, and follow-up. (C) 2003 Excerpta Medica, Inc. All rights reserved.