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What Black Women Need to Know About Breast Cancer
3 min. read
Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute
Numerous medical studies have found that minorities ― including women of color, American Indian/Alaska native and women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent ― often have poorer outcomes after a breast cancer diagnosis.
The most recent research released last month found that “Black women had a higher risk of breast cancer death for all tumor subtypes,” according to the study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The researchers conducted a meta-analysis that focused on 18 studies with nearly 230,000 patients with breast cancer in total, 34,000 of whom were Black. They compared the mortality rates of Black women and White women with the same breast cancer molecular subtypes.

Starr Mautner, M.D., breast surgical oncologist at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute.
“Despite effective early-detection approaches and innovative treatments, Black women in the United States have higher breast cancer mortality rates compared with White women,” the study states.
Baptist Health Cancer Care experts at Miami Cancer Institute and Lynn Cancer Institute, are working to find solutions to the many causes of disparities in care. For example, they are increasing minority enrollment in clinical trials, addressing barriers such as language problems and looking at financial issues that may impact a patient’s ability to access care.
The mortality rate for Black women diagnosed with breast cancer is 42 percent higher than the comparable rate for White women, states the American Cancer Society.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently updated its mammogram screening recommendations, saying that all women should be screened at least every other year, beginning at age 40. Oncologists with Baptist Health Cancer Care follow the recommendation of the American College of Radiology, which advises yearly mammograms beginning at age 40 for women of average risk. If you have any questions about your risk level for breast cancer, consult with your physician.
Women of Color Under 40 at Higher Risk

Gladys Giron, M.D., a breast surgical oncologist at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute..
“Among women younger than 40, breast cancer incidence is higher among Black/African American women,” explains Starr Mautner, M.D., a breast surgical oncologist at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute who specializes in breast surgical procedures including breast conserving lumpectomy, sentinel lymph node biopsy, skin-sparing mastectomy and nipple-sparing mastectomy. “All women should continue getting their mammograms because cancer that’s found early is highly curable.”
Moreover, triple negative breast cancer (hormone receptor negative/HER2 negative), a subtype of the disease that is both more aggressive and associated with a higher mortality, is more common among Black women than other racial or ethnic groups.
Baptist Health Cancer Care can guide all women through breast cancer screenings and treatment, even if they don’t haven’t had any previous medical attention, explains Gladys Giron, M.D., a breast surgical oncologist at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute.
“If patients come in and they actually don't have anybody to take care of them or they don't have a primary care physician, I can immediately say to them: ‘Don't worry, I'm going to send you to one of my colleagues. They're going to fit you in. We'll take care of you.’ This is especially true for patients who need to have surgery and actually don't have anybody.”
Breast Cancer’s Diverse Genetics
One area of particular interest to oncologists is genetic testing and counseling, which is vital to understanding the disease’s diverse genetic landscape and to helping physicians personalize prevention strategies and tailor treatment if a cancer diagnosis does occur.
“We know that there are genetic mutations that significantly increase risk in specific minority populations, but minority groups often don’t have access to genetic testing and counseling,” says Louise Morrell, M.D., medical oncologist and medical director of Lynn Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health, at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. “When we have the detail that genetic testing can provide, we can make recommendations to lower risk and start screenings earlier to detect cancer sooner.”
The bottom line, the doctors say, is that all women ― but particularly women of color and those who are Ashkenazi Jews ― should speak to their physicians and have a formal risk assessment by age 30. If they are determined to be at higher-than-average risk, they should begin screening at an earlier age. About half of all women of Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity will be diagnosed with breast cancer by the time they are 70 years-old, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
Health disparities are also evident in Hispanic/Latino populations, where women diagnosed with breast cancer are often diagnosed at a younger age than non-Hispanic White women. “With breast cancer, the median age at diagnosis for Hispanic women is 59 years, compared to 63 years for non-Hispanic white women,” said Kerry-Ann McDonald, M.D., a breast surgical oncologist at Lynn Cancer Institute.
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