Ghana Breast Health Study

The Ghana Breast Health Study (GBHS) was a multi-disciplinary, population-based case-control study conducted in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana that was designed to investigate breast cancer etiology especially for more aggressive breast cancers which are more prevalent in African ancestry women. The study enrolled 2,202 women with lesions suspicious for breast cancer of which 1071 were pathologically confirmed invasive breast cancer cases and 2,106 frequency matched population-based controls enumeration of households using 110 census-defined geographic areas within Ghana's Ashanti, Central, Eastern, and Greater Accra Regions. GHBS participants were between the ages of 18 to 74 years of age. Breast cancer cases were recruited at the time they presented with lesions suspicious of breast cancer at three hospitals: Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (Accra), Komfo Anoyke Teaching Hospital (Kumasi) and Peace and Love Hospital (Kumasi). These hospitals are the primary providers of treatment for breast cancer in Ghana, allowing for cases in our study to represent most breast cancers diagnosed in these areas during the study period. The following publications describe the GBHS in detail: Brinton LA et al. Design considerations for identifying breast cancer risk factors in a population-based study in Africa. Int J Cancer 2017;140:2667-2677 (PMID:28295287). Ahuno ST, et al. Circulating tumor DNA is readily detectable among Ghanaian breast cancer patients supporting non-invasive cancer genomic studies in Africa. NPJ Precis Oncol. 2021 Sep 17;5(1):83 (PMID: 34535742).]]>
Inclusion Criteria:Cases were women presenting with lumps suspected to be breast cancer at three hospitals [Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (Accra), Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (Kumasi), and Peace and Love Hospital (Kumasi)] recruited from 2013 to 2015. Controls were frequency matched to cases by age and districts of residence. ]]>