Breast Cancer in the Caribbean

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the leading causes of death among women globally. In the Caribbean, there is a higher mortality rate compared with North American and European countries which have higher incidence rates. We conducted a literature review to examine the BC dynamic in the Caribbean and determine the areas where further investigations are needed. The PubMed database was used for identifying relevant studies using a combination of specific keyword searches. All studies focusing on BC within the defined Caribbean population were selected for this review. A total of 117 papers were included. The data were organized and presented under the following headings and reported according to the country where available: BC incidence and mortality, patient demographics, clinicopathology, genetics, behavioral risks, diagnosis and treatment, and BC control. Our review uncovered major variability in the incidence, management, etiology, and mortality of BC among Caribbean countries. Low-resource countries are burdened by more advanced disease with expected poorer BC outcomes (i.e., shorter periods of disease-free survival). Countries with established national cancer registries seem to have a better approach to the management of BC. The introduction of cancer treatment programs in association with international nonprofit groups has shown tremendous improvement in quality, accessible cancer care for patients, particularly in low- and middle-income settings. BC research is relatively limited in the Caribbean, lacking in both scope and consistency. The unique Caribbean BC population of diverse ethnicities, environmental influence, immigrants, socioeconomic status, and sociocultural practices allows an optimal opportunity for epidemiological investigations that can provide deeper insights into the status of BC.

Keywords: breast cancer control; breast cancer genetics; breast cancer incidence; breast cancer management; breast cancer mortality; breast cancer research; caribbean science and public health; clinicopathology; mammography usage.