Purpose: To verify the relationship between clinical variables and tumor stage in breast cancer. Methods: This retrospective study (1998 to 2001) analyzed data of 176 women with breast cancer attending a university hospital. Patients were divided into groups according to the clinicopathological variables studied. Results: The disease had a similar frequency at age under 50 years (44.3%) or above (55.7%) 50 years. Stage II was more frequent. Most patients were white (69.9%), non-smokers (69.3%) and were not using oral contraceptives (71%). Stages 0-II were mainly detected in the white (74.8%) vs non-white (60.4%) group. Monthly breast selfexams were performed by 62.5% of women, in which earlier stages (0, I) were more frequently detected than in those who did not perform self-exams (27.3% vs 12.1%, p = 0.01). Conclusion: Breast cancer occurred mainly in white women in Stage II, and with similar frequency at age under or over 50 years. Breast self-exam was associated with early detection of the disease.