Comparing between black and white women, breast cancer has been less common in black women, yet killed black women at a higher rate. But in 2012, the incidence rate moved to 135 cases per 100,000 women for both white and black women. The incidence of breast cancer in black women increased 0.4 percent between 2008 and 2012.
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DR. OTIS BRAWLEY: There are a couple of factors that actually increase risk for breast cancer and they are working very hard and unfortunately very effectively in the black population. Still, the American Cancer Society added that women should be familiar enough with their breasts to notice any changes.
Changes in hormone levels may explain the reduced risk of death among women who had children, breast-fed or used birth control pills, according to Melissa Merritt, a research fellow in the School of Public Health at Imperial College London in England, and colleagues.
The statistics were a shocking blow as Black women’s mortality rate has consistently been higher than any other racial or ethnic group. “We don’t have the insurance and people think, ‘I will get over this sickness – this will just go away.’ But most likely it’s too late by the time we get diagnosed and we found out we have breast cancer”.
The rate of breast cancers detected at an advanced stage has been stable since 1975, despite wide use of mammography since the 1980s. However, women under 40 with a family history of breast cancer must also have regular checks. Sometimes mammograms find something suspicious that turns out to be harmless, but must be checked out through more tests that also carry risks including pain, anxiety, and other side effects.
The results were published Thursday in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. “I call it the puke campaign”, said Marlene McCarthy, the director of the Rhode Island Breast Cancer Coalition, who has metastatic breast cancer.
That’s why the work of a newly formed cooperative organization known as Sister Pact is so vital, said Brenda Kyles, manager of the Tennessee Breast and Cervical Cancer screening program for the local health department. She was not involved in the study.
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Starting at 55, the American Cancer Society recommends screenings every two years. And obesity rates are more in black women and have been growing more dramatically.
