LAGOS, Nigeria / AfricaWire.IO / – More than one in five women diagnosed with breast cancer in five sub-Saharan African countries were younger than 40, according to a study highlighted by St. George’s University. The figure of 21.9% has prompted the university to call for risk-based screening across Africa. SGU said healthcare providers should consider individual risk factors as well as age when deciding on screening. Relying on age alone could limit early detection in underserved communities, it warned.
The appeal formed part of SGU’s activities for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The university stressed the need to improve access to breast examinations, diagnostic imaging and specialist care. According to GLOBOCAN 2024 estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, published in 2026, Africa recorded around 225,643 new breast cancer cases and 100,070 deaths in 2024. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among African women and the leading cause of their cancer deaths.
Dr. Tonia Frame, who directs the Global Health Unit in SGU’s Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in Grenada, said age alone should not determine risk. “Breast cancer risk does not suddenly begin at a particular birthday,” she said, adding that two women of the same age may have very different risk profiles. She encouraged women to become familiar with how their breasts usually look and feel. Any unexplained changes should be checked promptly by a doctor, she said.
Screening gaps leave many women unchecked
A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis cited by SGU found that only 13% of women in sub-Saharan Africa had ever received a clinical breast examination. The university attributed the gap partly to differences in educational attainment, household wealth, health insurance coverage and access to healthcare. Frame noted that breast cancer in Africa often presents at a relatively younger age, while access to high-quality imaging remains uneven.
SGU listed family history of breast or ovarian cancer, inherited genetic factors, breast density and earlier high-risk lesions as factors that can shape screening plans. Women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 variants may need screening earlier than average-risk women, possibly from age 25, depending on clinical recommendations. The university urged women to discuss these factors, along with genetic counselling and previous biopsy results, with their healthcare providers.
Pathway from awareness to treatment needs AI support
The university also pointed to artificial intelligence as a tool for triage, image interpretation, workflow prioritisation and risk estimation in areas with few specialists. It cautioned that such tools require validation, quality assurance, diagnostic confirmation and ongoing monitoring across population groups. “The most important feature is not the algorithm alone, but the complete pathway linking awareness, initial assessment, referral, diagnostic confirmation and treatment,” Frame said.
Frame said community health workers, portable AI devices and digital referral pathways could help primary healthcare reach women facing geographical, financial and system barriers. SGU called for stronger diagnostic infrastructure, more training for frontline health workers and better referral systems. It said personalised screening should identify women who need earlier assessment without exposing others to unnecessary tests. Improving early detection must go hand in hand with timely diagnosis and treatment, the university added.