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Item Age-specific patterns of breast cancer in Nigerian women unraveled through histological analysis(Scientific Reports, 2025) Effiong, Magdalene Eno; Chinedu, Shalom Nwodo; Afolabi, Israel Sunmola; Ezike, Kevin Nwabueze; Oguntebi, Emmanuel Eyitayo; Abdul, Oluwasesan Adelowo; Achusi, Izuchukwu Benerdin; Benye, Tolulope Aanuoluwapo; Omunagbe, Mercy Bella; Ogbodo, Peace NzubechukwuSub-Saharan African women face a high burden of breast cancer, influenced by genetic and lifestyle factors. However, the lack of comprehensive, age-stratified data hinders the identification of risk factors and the development of effective, population-specific interventions. This study aimed to assess age-related variations in breast cancer prevalence among Nigerian women, providing insight into associated risk factors and disease trends. A retrospective review of 3,263 breast histopathology records (9.46% of total from 2015 to 2023) was conducted. Lesions—benign and malignant—were analyzed across five age groups: children and adolescents (0–19), young adults (20–39), middle-aged (40–59), higher-aged (60–79), and elderly (≥ 80), using MS Excel and GraphPad Prism 8.0. Statistical comparisons were performed by age and lesion type. Most cases were in young adults (45.97%) and middle-aged women (33.83%). The left breast was more commonly affected (46.86%) and had higher malignancy rates than the right (44.41%) or bilateral lesions (7.20%). Benign lesions were predominant (56.76%), especially among young adults (57.34%). Malignancy incidence increased with age, peaking in middle-aged women (53.30%). Fibroadenoma was the most frequent benign lesion in children and adolescents and young adults, while fibrosis predominated in middle age. Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) was the leading malignant subtype, with a sharp rise by 2023—particularly among middle-aged (172 cases) and young adult women (71 cases). Among 339 immunohistochemically profiled cases, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC; 42.77%) and ER+/PR+ tumors (36.87%) were most common. TNBC was the only subtype detected in children and adolescents. Middle-aged women bore the highest burden of all subtypes, with a marked increase in TNBC and ER+/PR+ cases in 2023. The rising incidence of aggressive subtypes, particularly TNBC, highlights the need for enhanced molecular diagnostics and personalized therapies. Age-specific trends reinforce the urgency for targeted screening, especially for young and middle-aged Nigerian women.Item CHARACTERIZATION OF THE GUT MICROBIOME AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN TREATMENT-NAIVE TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER (TNBC) PATIENTS IN LAGOS, NIGERIA(Covenant University Ota, 2025-10) OGUNLEYE, Oluwanifemi Omodara; Covenant University DissertationTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype lacking estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors. Emerging studies suggest that gut microbial imbalance and chronic inflammation may contribute to breast cancer progression. This study investigated the gut microbiome profile and circulating inflammatory markers in treatment-naive TNBC patients compared with unknown subtypes and healthy controls to understand the microbiome–inflammation relationship in TNBC pathogenesis. Fecal DNA from TNBC, unknown subtype, and healthy control groups was extracted and analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing through the Nephele QIIME2 pipeline. Alpha diversity was evaluated with the Shannon index, and group differences were tested using the Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests. Serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels were quantified using ELISA, and correlations were assessed using Pearson and Spearman analyses. Alpha diversity analysis revealed no statistically significant difference among groups (Kruskal–Wallis p = 0.298), though TNBC samples exhibited lower and more variable Shannon index values compared with controls. TNBC samples showed unstable high levels of Firmicutes, and Bacteriodota, and varying low levels of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota, indicating microbial imbalance. IL-6 and TNF-α levels did not differ significantly between TNBC and controls (p > 0.05), though TNBC patients displayed higher variability. A moderate positive correlation was found between IL-6 and TNF-α in TNBC (r = 0.5982), indicating co-regulated inflammatory activity. The PICRUSt functional prediction revealed altered microbial metabolic pathways in TNBC patients compared to controls, particularly a reduction in butyrate and propionate metabolism associated with short-chain fatty acid production. The findings suggest early gut dysbiosis and immune imbalance in TNBC despite the absence of significant statistical differences. Reduced microbial diversity, altered phylum-level composition, and cytokine co-regulation indicate biological perturbations in treatment-naive TNBC. These findings collectively support a potential link between microbial dysbiosis, altered short-chain fatty acid metabolism and elevated inflammatory activity in TNBC pathogenesis. It also highlights the need for larger, longitudinal studies to validate microbial and inflammatory biomarkers for early disease characterization.Item CHARACTERISATION OF THE GUT MICROBIOME AND FUNCTIONAL PROFILE IN ESTROGEN RECEPTOR-POSITIVE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS IN LAGOS, NIGERIA(Covenant University Ota, 2025-10) WILLIAMS, Moyosoreoluwa Mary; Covenant University DissertationEstrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer is the most prevalent molecular subtype globally, yet its association with gut microbial composition, functional potential and inflammatory drivers remains uncharacterised in sub-Saharan Africa. Employing the intersection of microbiology, oncology, and genomics, this study investigated the gut microbiome, predicted functional profiles, and systemic inflammatory markers in treatment-naïve ER+ breast cancer patients compared to healthy controls in Lagos, Nigeria. Faecal DNA samples from participants were extracted and analysed using 16S rRNA sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform using the QIIME2 pipeline. Microbial diversity was assessed through alpha (Shannon index) and beta diversity (NMDS, PCoA) metrics, and the group differences were tested using the Mann–Whitney test and Kruskal–Wallis, while PICRUSt2 predicted functional pathways with on focus on β-glucuronidase. Concurrently, systemic inflammation was evaluated through the quantification of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) from blood serum. Analysis revealed no significant differences in alpha diversity between groups (p > 0.05). However, beta diversity demonstrated substantial compositional divergence (PERMANOVA R²=0.11, p=0.02), with cases showing an elevated Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio and depletion of Actinobacteriota, including Bifidobacterium and Collinsella. Functional prediction indicated heightened β-glucuronidase activity in ER+ cases, suggesting enhanced estrogen reactivation potential. Inflammatory markers displayed a complex profile, with significantly reduced IL-6 levels in patients despite stable CRP concentrations. These findings characterise distinct gut microbial dysbiosis and functional alterations in Nigerian ER+ breast cancer patients, revealing an estrobolome configuration potentially contributing to pathogenesis. The results underscore the necessity of population-specific microbiome studies and highlight potential biomarkers for early detection and targeted interventions in this understudied population.Item ASSESSMENT OF FGFR2 AND FGFR4 POLYMORPHISMS IN NIGERIAN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS(Covenant University Ota, 2025-09) OGBODO, Peace Nzubechukwu; Covenant University DissertationBreast cancer (BC) persists as the most frequently occurring cancer in females, with a growing incidence percentage in sub-Saharan Africa. BC has been correlated with FGFR2 and FGFR4 genetic variations in different populations. However, the data on Nigerian women are scarce. This study investigated the association of FGFR2 rs1219648 (A>G), FGFR2 rs2981582 (A>G), and FGFR4 rs351855 (G>A) with BC risk in a Nigerian cohort. A case-control design was employed involving 75 BC cases and 75 controls. Using blood samples, genomic DNA was extracted, and SNP genotyping was conducted with the use of TaqMan® allelic discrimination assay. Genotype and allele frequencies comparison was conducted using chi-square, odds ratios, and Fisher’s exact tests. The FGFR2 rs1219648 G allele was significantly more common (48.0%) in cases than controls (35.3%), with the GG genotype conferring a significant increase in risk (OR = 2.61, 95% CI: 1.07 - 6.64, p = 0.039). FGFR2 rs2981582 showed no significant genotype-level association, but the minor A allele was more common in cases (43.2%) than controls (31.3%) (p = 0.045). FGFR4 rs351855 was not significantly associated with BC. None of the SNPs showed association with tumour immunohistochemical subtypes. The findings identify FGFR2 rs1219648 as a significant risk factor for BC in Nigerian women and highlight the need for larger, multi-centre studies to validate these associations.