Black women have a higher risk of dying from all types of breast cancer, according to a meta-analysis led by Mass General Brigham researchers. Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the study reveals that Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. This disparity exists across all tumor subtypes, with mortality rates varying from 17% to 50% depending on the type of breast cancer.
Senior author Erica Warner, ScD, MPH, a cancer epidemiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, emphasized that these higher mortality rates are influenced by factors beyond tumor biology. Socioeconomic inequality, delays in diagnosis, and inadequate access to timely quality cancer treatment, often resulting from systemic racism, contribute significantly to these disparities. Warner stated, “Our findings demonstrate that multiple, interacting factors contribute to disparities in breast cancer survival between Black and white women.”
The study analyzed data from 18 studies published between 2009 and 2022, encompassing 228,885 breast cancer cases, including 34,262 cases in Black women. It found that survival was worse for Black women for all breast cancer subtypes. The disparity was larger for hormone-positive tumors, with a 34% to 50% higher risk of death for Black women, compared to hormone-negative tumors, which had a 17% to 20% higher risk.
These findings highlight the urgent need for interventions at multiple levels, from community outreach to healthcare systems, to address and reduce these disparities in breast cancer outcomes.
See “Black women have a higher risk of dying from all types of breast cancer, meta-analysis reveals” (September 17, 2024)