Rising Breast Cancer Death Rates Among Black Women in Underserved Communities

Higher Breast Cancer Mortality Risk for Black Women in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open reveals that Black women residing in underprivileged neighborhoods face an increased risk of mortality from breast cancer. This alarming trend persists despite considering diagnosis stages, treatment options, and individual lifestyle factors.

Community-Level Interventions Needed

Led by Etienne Holder, PhD, from the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, the research indicates the necessity for community-level interventions to address racial disparities in breast cancer survival rates. The study emphasizes that local conditions heavily influence health outcomes, particularly for Black women.

Barrier to Care

Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Black women, who continue to encounter more obstacles in accessing care compared to their white counterparts. Recent investigations have sought to understand the relationship between socioeconomic factors and breast cancer treatment experiences.

The Impact of Historic Redlining

One significant aspect gaining attention is the legacy of redlining, a discriminatory practice that historically marginalized Black residents by denying them access to critical services like mortgages and insurance. This exclusion has long-term health implications that researchers are now examining.

Study Findings

The research team assessed neighborhood disadvantage, economic segregation, and personal experiences of racism using data from the Black Women’s Health Study, which consists of a nationwide cohort of 59,000 Black women. The participants, diagnosed with breast cancer at stages I to III, had survived for at least 12 months following their initial diagnosis.

From the final analysis, there were 305 breast cancer-specific deaths recorded among 2,290 women with invasive cancer, averaging 56.7 years in age, who were monitored for a median of 10.5 years. Notably, women living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods exhibited a mortality rate of 14.3 per 1,000 person-years, while those in the least disadvantaged areas had a significantly lower rate of 8.8 per 1,000 person-years, resulting in a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.47.

Extended Findings

The research also identified increased HRs for women dwelling in regions marked by extreme economic deprivation compared to more affluent areas (HR = 1.19) and for those who reported experiences of racism in at least two institutional contexts (HR = 1.28). However, the latter findings did not reach statistical significance.

Neighborhood Attributes and Survival Rates

The authors observed a positive correlation in the age-adjusted findings, although they noted a lack of substantial evidence after adjusting for various covariates. This suggests that factors related to the neighborhood environment may contribute to lower survival rates among Black women battling breast cancer.

Specifically, the researchers highlighted that chronic exposure to stressors, greater distances to treatment facilities, and limited access to nutritious food can exacerbate these poor outcomes. They advocate for reinvesting in these communities to potentially enhance breast cancer prognosis.