Abstract
BACKGROUND: The global incidence of breast cancer (BC) is rising, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this review is to summarize existing publications on BC care in Africa. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A systematic search in MEDLINE and smaller databases was carried out to identify African studies on BC treatment, and an additional PubMed search was performed for relevant topics on BC care. RESULTS: A total of 219 publications, mainly from North and West Africa, were found by systematic search. We also selected articles on BC epidemiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, and cancer control in Africa. CONCLUSIONS: Publications on BC treatment are mostly from hospital case series. Evidence on treatment from prospective randomized trials that address the specific characteristics of African patients is lacking. The epidemiologic data shows rising incidences in Africa. The prevalence of risk factors is changing by age group, geographic region, and over time. The clinical picture of BC differs from that of Western countries due to the high proportion of young patients (on account of the African population with a high proportion of young people) and late presentation. Global collaborative efforts are needed to address the rising need for improved BC care in Africa.