Breast Cancer - Survival

More Cancer Deaths Among African-American Women
African-American women with breast cancer are 67 percent more likely to die from the disease than their Caucasian counterparts. Researchers at the University of Iowa examined survival data of more than 135,000 U.S. women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1988 and 1995.

Several factors contribute to the disparity. African-American women tend to be diagnosed with breast cancer at an earlier age—33 percent are under 50 years old as compared with 25 percent of whites—and usually have more aggressive tumors, which have often spread throughout the body by the time the disease is diagnosed. Also, cultural barriers and less access to screening programs may prevent some African-American women from having regular mammograms. Exposure and susceptibility to chemical toxins, poverty, lower levels of education, and obesity in some populations may also play a role.

Joslyn SA, West MM. Racial differences in breast carcinoma survival. Cancer. 2000 Jan 1;88(1):114-23.

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