The first study of its kind applying modern genomics technology to DNA contributed by Sub-Saharan African women has shown they are more likely than women of other ancestries to develop and to die from triple-negative breast cancer. In the August 21, 2018, issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a multinational research team reports about the genes responsible for inherited breast cancer in Nigerian women.
“Genomic sequencing to identify women at extremely high risk of breast cancer could be a highly innovative approach to tailored risk management and life-saving interventions,” the authors wrote. Given the limited treatment resources available in this setting, they noted, “prevention and early detection services should target these highest-risk women.”
The Nigerian Breast Cancer Study, based in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria, has been conducted in the field for more than 20 years. During this period, breast cancer incidence throughout the country has steadily increased.
