Table 1.
Socio – demographic and clinical characteristics of breast cancer patients
| Variables | No. of subjects (%) |
|---|---|
| Age groups (yrs): N = 345 | |
| 20 – 39 | 60 (17.4) |
| 40 – 59 | 232 (67.2) |
| 60 – 81 | 53 (15.4) |
| Mean (SD): 48.3 (10.3); Median, & Mode = 46.0 | |
| Marital status: N = 347 | |
| Married | 312 (89.9) |
| Single | 11 (3.2) |
| Divorced/widow | 24 (6.9) |
| Occupational status: N = 343 | |
| Housewife/retired | 75 (21.9) |
| Low skill work (e.g., clerk) | 45 (13.1) |
| Medium skill (e.g., school teacher) | 191 (55.7) |
| High skill work (e.g., doctor, lawyer, engineer) | 32 (9.3) |
| Stage of cancer (N = 344) | |
| I | 24 (7.0) |
| II | 118 (34.3) |
| III | 124 (36.0) |
| IV | 78 (22.7) |
| Type of treatment received | |
| Chemotherapy | 342 (98.3) |
| Radiotherapy | 73 (21.0) |
| Surgery | 204 (58.6) |
| Duration since last chemotherapy (N = 341) | |
| Past month | 315(92.4) |
| 1 month to 3 months | 13 (3.8) |
| > 3 months | 13 (3.8) |
| Duration since last radiotherapy: N = 69 | |
| Past month | 48(70.7) |
| 1 – 6 months | 4 (5.7) |
| > 6 months | 17 (24.6) |
| Duration since last surgery: N = 202 | |
| Past month | 49(24.3) |
| 1 – 3 months | 78(38.6) |
| > 3 months | 75 (37.1) |
Those with stage IV disease were older (51.0) than those with other stages. This reached significance in comparison with stage III patients (46.9), (F = 2.7, df = 3/341, P < 0.05).