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Prevalence of Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer in India: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

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Abstract

In the last two decades, India has witnessed a substantial increase in the incidence of breast cancer and associated mortality. Studies on the prevalence of molecular subtypes of breast cancer in India have reported inconsistent results. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of observational studies to document the prevalence of molecular subtypes of breast cancer. A complete literature search for observational studies was conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE databases using key MeSH terms ((molecular classification) OR (molecular subtypes)) AND (breast cancer)) OR (breast carcinoma)) AND (prevalence)) AND (India). Two reviewers independently reviewed the retrieved studies. The screened studies satisfying the eligibility were included. The quality of included studies was assessed using the selected STROBE criteria. The overall pooled prevalence of luminal A, luminal B, HER2-enriched, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes of breast cancer were 0.33 (95% CI 0.23–0.44), 0.17 (95% CI 0.12–0.23), 0.15 (95% CI 0.12–0.19), and 0.30 (95% CI 0.27–0.33), respectively. Subgroup analyses were performed by mean age of patients, time period, region, and sample size of the study. Among molecular subtypes of breast cancer, luminal A was the most prevalent subtype followed by TNBC, luminal B, and HER2-enriched subtypes. The overall prevalence of TNBC in India is high compared to other regions of the world. Additional research is warranted to identify the determinants of high TNBC in India. Differentiating TNBC from other molecular subtypes is important to guide therapeutic management of breast cancer.

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Concepts, design, manuscript preparation, and manuscript review: Pavan Kumar Jonnada, Cherukuru Sushma, Madhuri Karyampudi, and Anvesh Dharanikota

Definition of intellectual content: Pavan Kumar Jonnada, Cherukuru Sushma

Literature search: Pavan Kumar Jonnada and Madhuri Karyampudi

Data acquisition: Pavan Kumar Jonnada, Cherukuru Sushma, and Madhuri Karyampudi

Data analysis and statistical analysis: Pavan Kumar Jonnada and Anvesh Dharanikota

Manuscript editing: Cherukuru Sushma and Madhuri Karyampudi

Guarantor: Anvesh Dharanikota

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Correspondence to Anvesh Dharanikota.

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All the authors work in esteemed oncology institutes across India and belong to different specialities dealing with breast malignancies.

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Jonnada, P.K., Sushma, C., Karyampudi, M. et al. Prevalence of Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer in India: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Indian J Surg Oncol 12 (Suppl 1), 152–163 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13193-020-01253-w

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