According to the organization, Susan G. Komen For the Cure,
breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United
States. Simply
put, cancer is a disease that causes cells to grow out of control. Eventually, the cells form a lump or mass.
The United States National Library of Medicine states that breast cancer begins in the tissues of
the breast. There are two different
types of breast cancer: ductal carcinoma and lobular carcinoma. Lobular carcinoma begins in the lobules,
which produce milk. Ductal carcinoma
begins in the ducts that move the milk from the breast to the nipple. Ductal carcinoma is the most common form of
breast cancer seen today.
Incidence rates are higher
among Caucasian women
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| Source: Fox New Radio |
Mortality rates are higher
among African American women
Although Caucasian women reported a higher number of incidences
of breast cancer, African American women died more from breast cancer. Of the incidence rates stated previously by
the National Cancer Institute, 22,400 Caucasian women died from breast cancer
and 31,600 African Americans died.
Symptoms are not shown
differently among different races
Breast cancer generally shows no symptoms when
the mass is small and when it can be treated the best. But when the symptoms do begin to show, which
is normally a painless lump, symptoms are usually shown similarly among African American
women and Caucasian women. Dr. Kerry
Green, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland (UMD) in the
Department of Behavioral and Community Health, says that other than the lump
there are really no other symptoms related to breast cancer. Green expanded upon her thoughts in an
interview.
The lack of screening and
diagnosis of breast cancer early causes more deaths
It doesn’t seem to add up why more white women have
the disease but more black women die from it.
A lot of research has been conducted in attempts to try and understand
this phenomenon. According to Susan G.
Komen For the Cure, this may be due to
differences in specific risk factors, the biology of the breast cancer, but
most importantly the breast cancer screening rates and treatment. Green says, “When cancer is found early,
there are a lot more treatment options. We also see that Caucasian women have
higher rates of screening so they’re more likely to go in and get the mammogram
at earlier ages. They’re more likely to
do the self-exam for a lump and also more likely to follow up with that.” Another expert, Sherie Lou Z. Santos, the
program manager of Project H.E.A.L., a research effort at the University of
Maryland, confirms this in an interview.
The lack of health insurance and access to screening facilities lead to
African American women not getting screened as often
There are a
number of variables that can lead to African American women to not get screened
as often if they do at all. One variable
could be the cost of getting screened especially if one doesn’t have health
insurance. Green states, “If you don’t
have health insurance, you’re not likely to go and get a mammogram. We see that Caucasian women have much higher
rates of health insurance and better health insurance than African American women
in general. If you do find a lump, you
have less treatment options if you don’t have health insurance.” Another
variable could just be simply the lack of awareness about the disease and/or
screening tests. Some women also do not
have access to screening facilities.
A non-expert knows that lack of early detection causes more deaths of the African American population
The experts know the reasoning behind why African American women tend to die more from breast cancer, but what do the non-experts think? A non-expert, Tina Coleman was asked her opinion on the topic. Coleman is a African American woman that survived Stage 3 breast cancer.
Breast
cancer is a disease that can be overcome if detected early enough. Self breast exams and mammograms should be
done regularly to ensure that if cancer is detected then you will have a higher
chance of survival.
