Investigating the Phenotypes and Genotypes of Breast Cancer in Women with African Ancestry: The Need for More Genetic Epidemiology

Disparities in incidence, mortality, and age of onset of breast cancer between women of African ancestry and women of other racial/ethnic backgrounds are poorly understood. A more comprehensive elaboration of genetic variants that occur in African women may facilitate a better understanding of the disease in African American women and explain the role of genetic admixture on the variation in the expression of the disease. Large-scale, population-based databases that document the cancer burden of Africa are lacking because of financial and infrastructural limitations. The development of such programs would represent an important cancer control and research strategy.