Black women more likely to die of breast cancer, study shows (Video)

Some of the differences in breast cancer outcomes between white and black women in the U.S. can be attributed to biology, suggests a new study.

Compared to black women, non-Hispanic white women were more likely to be diagnosed when their breast cancer was at an early stage, the research showed. And black women had a higher risk of dying from their breast cancer, compared to white women.

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They specifically wanted to find out if ethnicity or racial background played a role. So to find out more, breast cancer researchers, who supplied a video through the journal of the American Medical Association, looked at the medical records of more than 450,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer. They looked at those who were diagnosed at a variety of stages and sizes and followed them for at least seven years after diagnosis.

They found compared to women who were white, a black woman was one and a half times more likely to die of a small breast cancer.

A Chinese or Japanese woman was about half as likely to die of a small breast cancer and Hispanic women had very similar survival to that of white women.

Previous studies have noted that access to care might influence breast cancer survival in different races but the study has said that these women were diagnosed early enough that even with the same care there are different outcomes and that means there may be biological differences.

For example they found cancers are not more common in young black women but those who do get it are more likely to get an aggressive type compared to say, Chinese women. So now, further studies need to look at screening and treatment, It might be that we need to take biology into consideration.

Agencies/Canadajournal