Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among U.S. women and the second leading cause of cancer death.
Black women who develop breast cancer are around 40% more likely to die of the disease than white women, but it was unclear until now whether this disparity exists across all types of breast cancer. Now, a meta-analysis led by Mass General Brigham researchers shows that Black women have a higher risk of dying from breast cancer for all tumor subtypes, and the size of this disparity varies from 17-50% depending on the type of breast cancer. These findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology , demonstrate that higher mortality rates among Black women with breast cancer are at least partially attributable to factors that are independent of tumor biology-;for example, socioeconomic inequality, delays in diagnosis, and inadequate access to timely quality cancer treatment resulting from systemic racism.
Our findings demonstrate that multiple, interacting factors contribute to disparities in breast cancer survival between Black and white women. To achieve equity, intervention is necessary at multiple levels-;from community to healthcare systems and individual healthcare providers, to patients themselves learning about their disease and what their expectations should be for their care." Erica Warner, ScD, MPH, senior author, cancer epidemiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system Though it is often discusse.