BACKGROUND:

The success of breast cancer (BC) treatment depends largely on the clinical-histological characteristics of the patient. Immunohistochemical (IHC) Breast Cancer Subtypes are crucial for therapeutic purposes.

AIM:

To determine the relevance and prevalence of the histopathological parameters and molecular subtypes of BC among women attending public health services.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out in 199 female patients with histopathological diagnosis of breast cancer, treated at a Guayaquil city hospital in Ecuador, from January 2014 to December 2017.

RESULTS:

Luminal A carcinoma was the most prevalent tumor in the studied women (54%). Thirty seven percent of patients did not have nodal involvement, 40% had one to three lymph nodes involved and 2% had 10 or more nodes involved. Most patients had a tumor size > 2 and ≤ 5 cm (72%) and moderately differentiated specifications (57%).

CONCLUSIONS:

The study allowed the characterization of breast cancer according to the prevalence of molecular subtypes and clinical and histological characteristics. These factors determine therapeutic behaviors that optimize the use of the limited resources of the Public Health System.