Histopathological Spectrum of Breast Malignancies: A Retrospective Study at Tobruk Medical Center, Tobruk, Libya

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women globally, and its incidence is rising, especially in developing countries. Histopathological study stands as the definitive method for diagnosis confirmation, subtype classification, and prognosis evaluation. This study aims to classify breast cancer cases based on histopathological type and tumor grade, and to correlate these findings with patients’ age. A retrospective analytic- observational study was conducted in Tobruk Medical Centre using histopathological reports of all breast tissue specimens (lumpectomies, mastectomies, and biopsies), with confirmed diagnosis of malignancy in 32 patients. Data on patients’ age, sex, site of lesion, size of tumor, type of malignancy, and tumor grade were collected and analyzed using SPSS 25. The mean age of the patients was 47.3 ± 9.9 years (range: 29 -63 years), with the highest proportion of cases in our hospital-based sample observed in the age groups (40–49) and (50-59) years. Regarding the histopathological profile, invasive ductal carcinoma was the most frequently reported type, accounting for 75 % of the cases. In terms of tumor differentiation, Grade II was the most common, accounting for 93.3 %. Statistical analysis revealed a non-significant correlation between patient age and both histopathological type and tumor grade (p > 0.05) for each. In conclusion, breast malignancy was frequently observed among younger age groups in our study population, with more than 56% of our cases diagnosed before the age of 50 years, while invasive ductal carcinoma IDC was the most common malignant subtype, and most cases presented as T2 and moderately differentiated breast cancer. Hence, these findings highlight the need for promoting early screening and improving histopathological diagnostic tools and management services in Libya