Comparison of Hematological Parameters and the Associated Factors Among Women with and without Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is the most popular and dangerous cancer, with a high mortality rate. Hematological parameters are often used in routine diagnosis of numerous disorders. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate hematological parameters amongst women with and without BC.

METHODOLOGY: Briefly, 200 blood samples (100 cases and 100 controls) were collected at Life Center of Breast Cancer Control, Ibb City, Yemen. The whole blood samples were tested immediately for complete blood count (CBC) parameters. Socio-demographic and reproductive characteristics were collected by using a standardized questionnaire. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Unpaired t-test, Mann-Whitney test, Fisher's exact test and chi-square test for trends were calculated using GraphPad Prism 8.0.1. P-values ≤0.05 were statistically significant.

RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation (SD) revealed significant differences between BC group and the healthy control group attributed to the variables of age (P<0.0001), weight (P<0.0001), residence (P=0.0218), employment state (P<0.0001), economic state (P=0.0003), education levels (P<0.0001), regular exercise (P<0.0001) and a strict diet (P<0.0008). Marital state, marital age, number of births, and use of contraceptives demonstrated statistical significance (P<0.0001, P=0.0008, P=0.0009, and P<0.0001, respectively). Additionally, Hb, RBCs, WBCs count, neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes displayed significant differences (P=0.0393, P=0.0045, P=0.0327, P=0.0441, P=0.0098 and P<0.0001, respectively).

CONCLUSION: Hb, RBCs, WBCs, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and other parameters scored high points of evidence for BC surveillance. Further studies are required to evaluate hematological parameter differences and biochemical parameters after or during chemotherapy or mastectomy.