Black women are more likely to die from breast cancer – here’s why

New research shows that black women are more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, whatever the stage of the cancer, even when it might probably be cured.

A study published within the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that black women’s increased risk of survival ranges from 17% to 50%, depending on the sort of breast cancer.

Scientists analyzed data from 18 studies published between 2009 and 2022, analyzing 228,885 cases of breast cancer. According to the study, 34,262 women identified as black.

“These findings underscore a stark reality in our health care system: Black women face a better risk of dying from breast cancer compared to their white counterparts for all kinds of diseases. This discrepancy shouldn’t be nearly biology,” co-creator Paulette Chandler said in a press release. Chandler is an associate epidemiologist within the department of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Previous research has shown that there are 40% more black women will probably die of breast cancer than white women, and to this point researchers haven’t been sure whether the differences exist for all kinds of cancer, UPI reports.

The publication noted that researchers found this disparity was partly attributed to systematic racism, reminiscent of social and economic inequality, delays in diagnosis and inadequate access to timely cancer treatment.

“Our findings demonstrate that multiple interacting factors contribute to the disparity in breast cancer survival between Black and White women,” senior investigator Erica Warner, a cancer epidemiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a hospital news release.

“To achieve equity, intervention is needed at many levels – from communities, to health care systems and individual providers, to patients themselves as they learn about their disease and what they should expect from care.”

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that black women should start breast cancer screening at a younger age than other racial and ethnic groups. Although most women are around 50 years old, Black women must be tested at age 42, and in some cases earlier if there are other risk aspects reminiscent of a history of diabetes or family history.

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