Pattern of breast cancer in Saudi females in eastern province of Saudi Arabia.

We present our retrospective analysis of malignant breast tumours seen at King Fahd University Hospital between 1982 to 1987. 1,658 Saudi nationals were admitted with different malignant conditions, out of this 69 (4.1%) females suffered from breast cancer. Majority of the patients were between the age 31-50 years and half of them presented within the first 6 months of the symptoms. All the patients were married, multiparous and had breast fed their new born. Our study suggests that the incidence of breast cancer among Saudi women is low, multiparous and breast feeding in no way gives any protection to the patients and ductal carcinoma remains the commonest histological type of breast tumour.