Genetic Susceptibility to Breast Cancer in Sub-Saharan African Populations

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among African women and is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in Africa as estimated by GLOBOCAN 2018. Cancer incidence is increasing in Africa and is associated largely with lifestyle changes, resulting from increased urbanization. Ferlay et al predicted a 49% increase in BC incidence across Africa between 2018 and 2040, an increase faster than any other region in the world. The International Association of Cancer Registries cancer incidence report includes data for only 20 of 46 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, and it is likely that the incidence of BC is under-reported owing to lack of infrastructure for cancer diagnosis in resourceconstrained countries in SSA. Also, owing to the large burden of communicable and other noncommunicable diseases in SSA, most resources are directed at controlling these diseases. Cancer research, especially molecular research, in SSA is often deprioritized against other pressing public health concerns.