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. 2025 Jul 31.
doi: 10.1111/ahg.70016. Online ahead of print.

Polygenic Risk Score for Cancer in African Population: A Systematic Review

Wafaa M Rashed  1 , Olagunju Abdulrahmon A  2
Affiliations

Polygenic Risk Score for Cancer in African Population: A Systematic Review

Wafaa M Rashed et al. Ann Hum Genet. .

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this systematic review is to identify all genome-wide association study (GWAS)-based polygenic risk score (PRS) studies (with different PRS approaches) reported in African ancestry populations diagnosed with any type of cancer. Additionally, this review assessed the role of PRS in advancing precision medicine through its clinical utility across different cancer types in African populations.

Methods: We searched PubMed from January 2009 to April 2023 and included GWAS-based PRS studies for cancer patients of African genetic ancestry.

Results: Among the 33 eligible studies, prostate cancer and breast cancer were the most common types in adults, whereas only one publication reported the risk association of neuroblastoma (a pediatric cancer). The most common PRS approach used was ancestry-specific PRS. Clinical utility of the calculated PRS varies across cancer types, with inconsistent results. Our systematic review found a limited number of PRS studies on cancer patients (adult and pediatric) of African ancestry, and these studies showed less clinical utility compared to those conducted in European ancestry populations.

Conclusion: To make PRS clinically actionable for African ancestry populations, it is crucial to increase the number of large-scale, population-specific GWAS, improve the representation of African-ancestry cohorts, and refine PRS models to better reflect the genetic diversity within African populations.

Keywords: African ancestry; cancer; clinical utility; polygenic risk score.

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