“This study was the beginning of an attempt to understand the genes that drive breast cancer, especially estrogen receptor negative breast cancer,” says Olopade. “We knew that this very aggressive type of breast cancer tended to affect young black women at a much higher rate, but we didn't know why. This study helped us begin to unlock that mystery.”

Using samples collected from 378 women in Nigeria and Sénégal and comparing them to a database of breast cancer tissue from 930 North American women from Canada, Olopade and her team were able to determine key differences between the two populations: one, that breast cancers in African women often stemmed from basal-like cells rather than luminal cells as is common in Caucasian women; and two, that breast cancers in African women were often estrogen receptor negative.

“Because of the international nature of our study, we are able to hypothesize that both genetic and environmental factors may play a role in the development of this type of breast cancer,” says Olopade. “This study provides clear evidence for a biological difference between breast cancers in Caucasian and African women.”

While this study has opened up new areas of breast cancer research, it has also caused people to take a second look at policy regarding preventative care and treatment. As this study indicates, women of African descent are more likely to develop breast cancer at a young age, making them less likely to receive early diagnosis or treatment, as standard procedure calls for annual mammograms after the age of 40. Additionally, as most of the breast cancers were found to be estrogen receptor negative, standard treatments with estrogen blocking drugs like tamoxifen cannot be part of an effective treatment plan.

“Currently we have no good understanding of how to best to treat young women with this type of breast cancer,” says Olopade. “These women have a different set of criteria that we must consider when treating them. Up until now, older white women have provided the base line information for breast cancer prevention and treatment, and this leaves a large portion of the population out of the equation. Hopefully our study will affect that in a positive way.”

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