Geospatial disparities in survival of patients with breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa from the African Breast Cancer-Disparities in Outcomes cohort (ABC-DO): a prospective cohort study

Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and partner institutions report that in five sub-Saharan African countries, women with breast cancer living in rural areas far from their treatment hospital died at twice the rate of their urban counterparts. These new results were published in The Lancet Global Health.

Among those women living far from the treatment hospital (> 50 km distance or > 1 hour travel time), the mortality rate of rural women was twice that of urban women. Such strong differences in mortality rates were also observed among women with early-stage, potentially treatable disease. Rural residence and greater distance and travel time increased mortality rates, even after accounting for differences in age, stage at diagnosis, and whether women had received any treatment.

These results, the latest from the African Breast Cancer – Disparities in Outcomes (ABC-DO) study, report information collected in Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. The findings demonstrate the stark geospatial disparities in survival among women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Providing financial and logistic support to enable such women to complete curative treatment regimens might help to avert breast cancer deaths in these settings.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the few specialized cancer treatment facilities are located in large urban centres. This results in a significant travel burden for women undergoing breast cancer treatment, which requires repeated visits over an extended period of time. Breast cancer survival can reach 90% in high-income countries, compared with 33–70% in sub-Saharan Africa. The ABC-DO study provides much-needed high-quality data on factors affecting the survival of patients with breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa

Kim J, Macharia PM, McCormack V, Foerster M, Galukande M, Joffe M, et al.
Geospatial disparities in survival of patients with breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa from the African Breast Cancer-Disparities in Outcomes cohort (ABC-DO): a prospective cohort study
Lancet Glob Health, Published online 21 May 2024;
https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(24)00138-4

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Visit the African Breast Cancer – Disparities in Outcomes (ABC-DO) study website