(WXYZ) — In today’s Health Alert, a new study looking at breast cancer found Black women are more likely to die at an earlier age than other ethnic groups.
Based on data, researchers suggest that Black women be screened eight years earlier than the current government guidelines recommend.
The age recommendation varies a bit. The official recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says women between the ages of 50 and 74 should get a mammogram every two years. However, the American Cancer Society says that women should have the option to start mammogram screening between the ages of 40 and 44, but to get them yearly between 45 and 54. So it is a bit confusing.
Now, regarding the study, the group of international researchers behind it are suggesting that Black women, in particular, start mammograms beginning at age 42. And here’s why. Between 2011 and 2020, they analyzed breast cancer deaths from over 415,000 women here in the US. And what they found was quite surprising. Here are the numbers for women in their 40s.
For Hispanic, Alaska Native, American Indian, and Asian or Pacific Islander women, deaths were 11 per 100,000. For White women, deaths were 15 per 100,000. And for Black women, deaths were 27 per 100,000, nearly double. They were found to have a 40% higher breast cancer death rate than White women.
A few things are going on. First of all, Black women have denser breast tissue. This makes cancer not only harder to detect but increases the odds of getting breast cancer in the first place. Black women also have nearly a three-fold increased risk of triple-negative breast cancers. Those types tend to not only grow faster but are harder to treat. And to make matters worse, Black women are not getting the same care as their peers following diagnoses. There are barriers that black women face – and this includes access to treatments and surgeries.
But when it comes to screening, according to data, there are no differences regarding screening rates among Black women and White women. But Black women, unfortunately, are more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age. So starting mammograms sooner, as the researchers in this study and the American Cancer Society recommends, should be seriously considered. And it could potentially save lives.
In my opinion, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to breast cancer screening. It’s vital that all women, regardless of race, talk to their doctor about their family history and then decide when breast cancer screenings should begin for them.
