Higher prevalence of triple negative breast cancer among those with African ancestry

July 23, 2010

There is a higher frequency of estrogen receptor-negative and triple-negative breast tumors in women with Ghanian/African background compared to women with white American and African American backgrounds, according to a  study published in the journal Cancer. 

At the Henry Ford Health System, study investigators evaluated tumor characteristics in 1,008 white American and 581 African American breast cancer patients. Seventy-five Ghanaian patients diagnosed and/or treated at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana were also evaluated.

Proportions of Ghanaian, African American, and white American cases with estrogen receptor-negative tumors were 76%, 36%, and 22%, respectively. Poportions with triple-negative disease were 82%, 26%, and 16%, respectively. The differences were statistically significant.