Association between age at first oral contraceptive use and breast cancer in women-Nouakchott, Mauritania, May - October 2021

Résumé fourni par la source

Introduction: In Mauritania, breast cancer affects 44.9 women per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020 and is the most common cancer. In a context where two- thirds of women use oral contraceptives and nearly one-third of marriages are early, this study examines the association between the age of first use of oral contraceptives and breast cancer among women in Mauritania. Methods: A case-control study (192 cases for 192 controls) was conducted at the Nouakchott Oncology Center from 01 May 2021 to 31 October 2021. A case was defined and so was a witness. A logistic regression was performed with SAS® 9.4 software to estimate the odds ratio of breast cancer associated with age of first oral contraceptive use independent of other characteristics. Results: Half of the patients were from Nouakchott (50.5%), 41.7%, 57.8% and 85.4% were married, uneducated and housewives, respectively. The median age was similar in cases and controls. About 11% of cases and 18.7% of controls used oral contraceptives for the first time before the age of 24, and more than 64% had never used oral contraceptives. After adjusting for possible confounders, age at first oral contraceptive use (<24 years) was significantly associated with breast cancer (adjusted OR = 3.07, 95% CI 1.09-8.82; p = 0.0372) independently of other characteristics. Conclusions: The study shows that the age of first use of oral contraceptives, less than 24 years, is a risk factor for breast cancer in women followed at the Nouakchott Oncology Center. Sensitization of women on alternative contraceptive methods and early marriage is recommended.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.