Breast cancer in Morocco: Synthesizing two decades of national research to inform future action

Table 1 Key breast cancer studies based on patient cohorts from major oncology centers in Morocco

Ref.	Primary focus	Cohort size/period	Key contribution to Moroccan context
Bouchbika et al[1], 2013	Population-based incidence	Population-based registry (2005-2007)	Provided standardized incidence rates and epidemiological trends in the Greater Casablanca region
Ismaili et al[4], 2025	Prognostic factors in early-stage cancer	400 early-stage patients (2001-2003)	Identified nodal status, tumor size, disease stage, and treatment as prognostic factors from a historical cohort
Abahssain et al[6], 2010	Breast cancer in young women	130 young patients (≤ 40 years)	Established the high incidence and aggressive presentation in young Moroccan women
Mohammed et al[7], 2025	Determinants of diagnosis delay	436 patients (Mohammed VI Centre, Casablanca)	Analyzed patient and system-related determinants of prolonged diagnostic intervals in a contemporary cohort from Casablanca
Maghous et al[8], 2016	Determinants of diagnosis delay	137 advanced-stage patients	Identified patient- and system-level factors (e.g., rural residence, use of traditional medicine) contributing to late-stage diagnosis
Elidrissi Errahhali et al[9], 2017	Molecular subtypes	2260 patients (Eastern Morocco)	First large report on molecular subtypes and their clinicopathological characteristics in Eastern Morocco
Mrabti et al[10], 2024	Impact of guideline-concordant care	1901 stage I-III patients	Quantified the survival benefit (80% vs 50% 5-year DFS) of appropriate, multidisciplinary management
Traore et al[11], 2018	Quality of life evolution	1463 patients	Documented overall QoL improvement after one year, but highlighted persistent financial and psychosocial challenges

QoL: Quality of life; DFS: Disease-free survival.