Abstract IA43: Breast cancer and African ancestry

Abstract

Abstract Variation in cancer incidence and outcome has well-documented correlations with racial-ethnic identity. In the United States, the possible genetic/ancestral hereditary explanations for these associations are confounded by socioeconomic, cultural, and lifestyle patterns. Differences in the breast cancer burden of African American (AA) compared to European/Caucasian (White) American (WA) women represent one of the most notable examples of disparities in oncology related to racial-ethnic identity. Elucidating the etiology of these associations is imperative in achieving the promise of the precision medicine initiatives. Population-based breast cancer mortality rates have been higher for AA compared to WA women since the early 1980s, likely reflecting declines in mortality among WA related to the advent of endocrine therapy, which is less effective in AA women because of the higher prevalence of estrogen receptor-negative disease. The increased risk of triple-negative breast cancer in AA women as well as western, sub-Saharan African women compared to WA, European, and east African women furthermore suggests that selected components of African ancestry are associated with hereditary susceptibility for specific patterns of mammary carcinogenesis. Oncologic anthropology represents a transdisciplinary field of research that can combine the expertise of population geneticists, translational oncologists, and behavioral scientists to elucidate breast cancer disparities related to racial-ethnic identity and to advance knowledge related to the pathogenesis of triple-negative breast cancer. This presentation will review associations between triple-negative/basal-like breast cancer and African ancestry, with a proposed mechanism based upon hereditary and population migration patterns. Citation Format: Lisa A. Newman. Breast cancer and African ancestry [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr IA43.