Prevalence and Mortality of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in West Africa: Biologic and Sociocultural Factors
Gift C. Nwagu, Shristi Bhattarai, Monica H. Swahn, Saad Ahmed, Ritu Aneja
Abstract
Africa is the second-largest continent by population.1 With 54 countries across five geographical regions (Northern, Western, Middle, Eastern, and Southern Africa), the continent boasts great geographical, cultural, and population diversity. Breast cancer (BC) exhibits substantial variability across African populations. BC has become a serious health concern globally. According to the Global Cancer Observatory, BC is the second-leading cause of cancer death and the most common cancer type among women worldwide, occurring in 24% of all women (approximately 2.1 million cases in 2018).2 Although relatively low (Fig (Fig1),1), BC incidence in Africa is rising rapidly, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).3,4 The 2030 BC burden in SSA is projected to be twice the 2012 BC burden.4 SSA encompasses multiple low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which have low gross domestic product per capita and human development index; many of these countries are in West Africa (WA) (Table (Table11).5 Open in a separate window FIG 1 Estimated age-standardized BC incidence rates per 100,000 people in countries in WA. All data presented were obtained from 2018 GLOBOCAN reports. BC, breast cancer; GLOBOCAN, Global Cancer Observatory; WA, West Africa.