Black Women Face Breast Cancer Treatment Barriers, Study Results

Breast cancer treatment has come a long way, but some populations appear to be left behind.According to a September study published by Red JournalBlack women are 15% less likely to be offered low-split radiation therapy, an increasingly popular treatment for breast cancer, than white women.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), black and white women have about the same proportion of breast cancer, but black women have a 40% higher mortality rate. In addition, black women are more likely to have a recurrence and are more likely to develop more aggressive breast cancer.

“Beyond the fact that breast cancer tends to be a more biologically aggressive disease in African Americans [women] This disparity in breast cancer mortality over white women also reflects the social barriers that affect disproportionately on African-American women. ” Ogori Cal, MDA general surgeon at St. Michael’s Medical Center in New Jersey speaks to Very Well.

What is low-split radiation therapy?

“Radiation therapy is an important part of breast cancer treatment for most patients,” says Kalu.

In the treatment of breast cancer, radiation therapy is often used to kill the cancer cells that remain after breast surgery (such as breast surgery or mastectomy), reducing the risk of cancer recurrence.

However, it is important to note that not all radiation therapies are the same. For example, Kalu says, “Traditional radiation therapy gives patients a small amount of radiation over a period of 5 to 7 weeks.” In contrast, she states that low-division radiation therapy, also known as low-division, gives more radiation in just five weeks.

With fewer of these sessions, the patient has fewer side effects such as fatigue and loss of appetite. The low fraction also reduces the need to go to the cancer center frequently, making this option more convenient for many patients.

In this study, low fractions are equally effective, Low cost compared to conventional radiation therapy. For these reasons, the study found that the use of low fractions increased over a four-year study period, from about one-quarter of eligible patients in 2012 to more than two-thirds of 2016. I did. However, certain populations, especially treatment, appear to be delayed. For black women.

Barriers for Black Women with Breast Cancer

Principal Investigator when talking about their findings Alliric Willis, MD Surgical Oncologist and Associate Professor of Surgery at Sydney Kimeru Medical College Press release, “This shows that race is a factor in breast cancer treatment, even though the treatment guidelines do not consider race.”

Despite these advances in breast cancer treatment, black women continue to face multiple barriers to cancer treatment, from delays in breast cancer diagnosis to the financial costs of treatment.

Delayed diagnosis

“I found a lump when I was 31” Maimah Karmo, The founder and CEO of the Tigerlily Foundation, a national breast cancer foundation that provides resources to young women, told Verywell. “They told me it wasn’t cancer and I was too young to get breast cancer. They told me to come back for 6 months to a year or when I was 40. If so. , I will die today .. ”

Carmo, a black man, returned to the doctor six months later and asked for a biopsy. Her doctor agreed. Biopsy revealed that Carmo was stage 2 breast cancer. She was only 32 years old. “Between the time I first met her and the next appointment, the size of the lump doubled, just within six months,” she says.

In general, the earlier breast cancer is detected, the sooner it can be treated and the more likely it is that a woman will survive. Even after diagnosis, recent studies have shown that more black women delay the start of treatment compared to white women.

Implicit bias from healthcare providers

Studies show that black individuals are often less likely to trust doctors and hospitals than the white population.“For blacks, when in front of a uniformed person, like a doctor or police officer, there is a natural defense mechanism. It can be a hostile environment. Or rejected. . ”

Several reasons behind this distrust may include the history of exploitative clinical research in the United States, such as in the case of Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta Lacks continues to support much of modern medicine, with cells being used without the knowledge and consent of Lux.Studies also show that many healthcare providers have an implicit bias towards black patients.Studies show that healthcare providers are less likely to provide effective treatment to blacks than whites, even after controlling factors such as class, health behavior, comorbidities, and access to insurance. It is shown.

Karmo says doctors tend to avoid mentioning participation in clinical trials in black women diagnosed with breast cancer. A 2016 study found that black women were less likely to undergo BRCA1 / 2 genetic testing than white women.

“If you don’t know what to look for, you don’t even know how to defend yourself,” says Karmo.

Financial considerations

For heads of household, uninsured, or uninsured black women, diagnosing breast cancer can raise concerns that they cannot afford treatment.

Studies show that private-sector insured patients were more likely to receive a lower fraction than uninsured and Medicaid patients.In addition, patients who lived in the highest income level zip code were 25% more likely to receive treatment than patients in the lowest income category zip code.

“It’s really sad that women make decisions about their health and life for financial reasons,” says Carmo.

“Imagine you have an hourly job and live far away from the cancer center,” she says. “Also, if you ask for a second or third opinion, it loses wages. If you lose money, who is going to feed your child?”

Correcting the inequality gap

Karmo states that the Tigerlily Foundation has launched the #InclusionPledge initiative through the organization to fill the healthcare gap. With this pledge, key players in the healthcare system, including pharmaceutical companies, healthcare institutions and policy makers, are responsible for removing barriers to the care of black women.

Karmo states that #InclusionPledge provides a concrete framework for assessing different ways to remove treatment obstacles in black women living with breast cancer.

• Ensure that doctors provide black women with relevant information such as genetic testing, diagnostic imaging, clinical trials, etc.
• Offer scholarships or free transportation if there are economic and geographical barriers
• Providing easy-to-understand patient education materials

“As long as I live, I want to provide and ensure that all women, especially young and colored women, are educated, accessed and resourced,” says Karmo.

Solving complex problems such as breast cancer medical disparities requires a multifaceted approach. However, measures such as #InclusionPledge, which already has 11,000 pledges and 60 partners, aim to change the future of the medical experience for black women.