Age at Menarche and Breast Cancer Characteristics in Women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

Background: Early menarche has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, but the relationship remains poorly understood in resource-limited settings. This study aimed to explore the association between age at menarche and breast cancer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 401 breast cancer patients, assessing their age at menarche and clinical characteristics. Data were analyzed using ANOVA to compare the mean age at menarche across different clinical and histological subtypes, with significance set at P < 0.05. Results: The mean age at menarche was 12.7 ± 3.1 years. Significant differences were observed in age at menarche between tumor subtypes, with earlier menarche associated with aggressive subtypes, such as HER2-positive and triple-negative breast cancer. Women with menarche at age ≤12 years had a higher risk of developing breast cancer, consistent with findings from other populations. Conclusion: Our study suggests that early menarche may be a key factor in breast cancer risk in a resource-limited setting. Identifying women with early menarche could help prioritize them for targeted public health interventions and early screening, particularly in environments where advanced diagnostic tools are scarce. Further research is needed to validate these findings in larger, longitudinal studies across diverse African populations.