title: A review of the ethnic differences in breast cancer.
abstract: Women of African descent have a lower incidence of breast cancer than their white counterparts; however, the overall age-adjusted breast cancer mortality rates are higher. They also present at a younger age, and have more advanced disease that exhibits poor prognostic features including significantly larger tumors of higher grade, higher rates of estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor negativity and a higher rate of p53 mutations and HRAS1 proto-oncogene expression, all of which confer a poor prognosis. While there are many possible contributory factors to the discrepancies in outcome in women of African descent, there is no satisfactory explanation as to why women of African origin tend to present at a younger age with hormone receptor-negative tumors and more adverse prognostic features.
authors.affiliation: Tumour Biology, Institute of Cancer, Barts and the London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK. rebecca.bowen@bartsandthelondon.co.uk
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stebbing
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics; D044383:Black People / Q000235:genetics; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D019398:Genes, BRCA1; D024522:Genes, BRCA2; D016158:Genes, p53; D011905:Genes, ras; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D010597:Pharmacogenetics; D011379:Prognosis; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone