A new report from Susan G. Komen reveals encouraging progress in the fight against breast cancer among Black women—but also underscores persistent racial disparities. Between 2014 and 2023, targeted interventions and partnerships with local organizations helped reduce mortality rates for Black women in nine U.S. metro areas.
Using data from the CDC and National Cancer Institute, Komen found double-digit improvements in the racial mortality gap in two metro areas. “We’re pleased to see that overall, more Black women are surviving breast cancer,” said Dr. Sonja Hughes, vice president of Community Health at Susan G. Komen. “This is a meaningful difference that deserves recognition.”
Yet the report also highlights troubling setbacks. In Memphis, Black women were 79% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. In St. Louis, the disparity was 75%. Dallas was the only metro area where more Black women died in 2023 than in 2014.
“No metro area has completely closed the racial gap in mortality,” Hughes emphasized. The findings suggest that while progress is possible, systemic inequities in access to care, early detection, and treatment continue to put Black women at greater risk.
The report calls for sustained efforts to address these disparities and ensure that all women, regardless of race or zip code, have a fair chance at surviving breast cancer.
See: “Komen: Fewer Black women are dying from breast cancer” (October 6, 2025)
