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Breast Cancer in Blacks: Impact of Genomics, Healthcare Use and Lifestyle on Outcomes (BRIGHT)

Young Black females bear a disproportionate burden of breast cancer (BC) mortality compared to White females and are underrepresented in clinical studies. It remains critical to understand factors that contribute to the high mortality from BC among young Black females in order to improve outcomes. The higher BC mortality rate among young Black females with breast cancer is partially attributed to the disproportionately higher proportions who develop the aggressive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In addition to biologic factors, timely access to care, and lifestyle factors contribute to this disparity. Consequently, we sought to evaluate the interplay between biologic and non-biologic contributors to BC outcomes (i.e., BC disease-free survival (DFS)), and to better characterize the highly aggressive TNBC among young Black females based on distinct molecular subtypes. Ultimately, it is critical to assess both biologic and non-biologic factors to fully understand and address existing health disparities in this population.

Through prior and subsequent recruitment of a population-based study of young Black females diagnosed with invasive breast cancer spanning 2009-2016, we: 1) assessed the contribution of biologic and non-biologic factors on BC-DFS observed among young Black females with BC, and 2) investigated molecular features of the subgroup with TNBC.

Through this study, consented participants were asked to provide a saliva sample from which DNA was extracted for germline analyses, including germline inherited cancer genetic testing and Infinium Expanded Multi-Ethnic Genotyping Array. Breast cancer tumor specimens were also collected, and tumor RNA was extracted from viable FFPE tumor samples. Tumor RNA analyses included gene expression profiling through NanoString PAM50.

Data that will be available through dbGaP for this study include SNP array data and PAM50 data.