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Raise Your Voice About Your Metastatic Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a common diagnosis for women of all races. But there are differences along racial lines when it comes to early detection, treatment, and survival rates.
The disease is deadliest for non-Hispanic Black women. They’re more likely than women of other races or ethnicities to get diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (cancer that has spread to other parts of the body), and they have higher odds of having triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC is a hard-to-treat form of the disease that spreads fast.
Genes and biology play a role in breast cancer. But racial and ethnic minorities face barriers to health care. People of color tend to have less access to health insurance and get fewer referrals to specialty medical care.
There’s also evidence that some doctors spend less time with Black people, says Andrea Silber, MD, a breast oncologist and assistant clinical director for health equity and diversity at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital.
Source: WebMD