Environmental chemical risk factors of breast cancer in Nigeria II: Adolescent hormonal contraceptives use

Abstract

Globocan’s 2018 cancer statistics show increasing rates of breast cancer in Nigeria. There is sufficient evidence in humans that hormonal contraceptive is a breast cancer risk factor particularly among African American women who begin use before 20 years of age or before first pregnancy. Nigerian breast cancer patients have identical subtypes as African Americans i.e triple negative tumors, early age of onset, clinically aggressive, and poor prognosis.

Data from Nigeria show that 37.4% adolescent girls engage in high-risk sexual behaviour. For adolescent girls, dual use of condom and other hormonal contraceptives have been recommended to prevent pregnancy and acquisition of STI/HIV. Adolescents in Nigeria have uncensored access to all the contraceptive mix including hormonal contraceptives. There are also some ethical concerns.

There are extremely harmful socio-cultural and socio-economic determinants that promote early sexual debut, Teenage Pregnancy, and Child Marriage. There are also grave health related, social and economic consequences for mother and child, and the community. Both Teenage Pregnancy and Child Marriage undermine nearly every Millennium Development Goal. The notable reason given by some fathers for embracing Child Marriage was to protect daughters from what was perceived as “unwholesome” Western values that permit loss of virginity, pre-marital sex and high adolescent sexual networking, necessitating the use of contraceptives.

Hormonal contraceptive is a modifiable risk factor of breast cancer. Appropriate early pre-adolescent and adolescent parental care and nurturing before the crisis stage in godly principles is the gold standard for preventing adolescents’ use of contraceptives. Adolescent pregnancy and Child Marriage are not safe options.