African American Women Continue to Experience Breast Cancer Disparities

December 05, 2017

Despite interventions to bridge the gap in cancer disparities between African American and white women, racial disparities in breast cancer mortality exist. The National Cancer Institute reported (https://www.cancer.gov/about-nci/organization/crchd/cancer-health-disparities-fact-sheet) that African American women have a higher mortality rate from breast cancer as compared to Caucasian women (33.8 versus 25.0, respectively).

Katie Reeder-Hayes, MD, from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, discussed reasons for breast cancer disparities in African American women, as well as potential solutions to reduce them, during the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on Tuesday, December 5. (http://www.abstracts2view.com/sabcs/view.php?nu=SABCS17L_9036INV)

The reasons for racial disparities are complex and multifold, including biologic and ecologic factors.

Reeder-Hayes recommended the following actions to see a meaningful improvement in the survival gap between African American and Caucasian women with breast cancer.


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