Arab women suffer not only more advanced, but also more aggressive breast cancers, according to research by the Laboratory of Genetic Medicine and Immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.
The study, led by Dr. Lotfi Chouchane, WCMC-Q's Assistant Dean for Basic Science Curriculum, and published in The Lancet Oncology, found that women in Arab countries have larger tumors and more advanced disease when they're diagnosed. However, in some populations their tumors also differ on a microscopic level, including more frequent hormone receptor-negative status, a higher tumor grade, and more often spreading to the axillary lymph node.
As an example, Dr. Chouchane said that "inflammatory breast cancer is the most lethal form of the disease and constitutes 1 to 2 percent of all breast cancer tumors in the United States. But a higher proportion of cases are reported in Arab populations."
In Tunisia, 7 to 10 percent of breast cancers are inflammatory; likewise, in the Gharbiah region of Egypt, inflammatory breast cancer accounts for up to 11 percent of breast cancers.
Though women in the Arab world present with more advanced cancers, they are also diagnosed at an average age of 48, more than 10 years younger than women in the United States, where the average age at diagnosis is 61.
Despite breast cancer being the most frequently diagnosed malignancy among Arab women, "the cultural value of modesty and misconceptions about cancer, coupled with insufficient levels of education about breast cancer and difficulties in accessing healthcare facilities, can often prohibit women from participating in breast screening," Dr. Chouchane said. "This can lead to delayed detection."
Breast cancer awareness and screening programs could reduce mortality significantly, Dr. Chouchane said, adding that Arab countries should prioritize research on cancer.