Black women with breast cancer have lower rates of a successful response to chemotherapy than other demographics, according to a new study.
In a new report released by the Duke Cancer Institute and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Black women with triple-negative breast cancer, specifically, have poorer outcomes after treatment regardless of other factors.
Overall, through analysis of over 40,000 patients with triple-negative breast cancer, approximately 29.8% of cases end successfully, with the cancer being completely eradicated. Of this rate, Black women composed a disproportionately low number of successful cases.
Only 27% of Black women of the approximate rate of 30% of survivors, had significantly positive outcomes when receiving chemotherapy. The rate was lower than any other demographic as white women and Hispanic women recorded a 30.5% and 32.6% respective success rate when getting treatment.
According to researchers, the difference in chemotherapy’s effectiveness may come from genetics.
Black women are more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age, at later stages and with more aggressive types of breast cancer than white women. This makes knowing your family health history crucial and potentially lifesaving. pic.twitter.com/XmNNlaLDMy
— Susan G. Komen (@SusanGKomen) February 26, 2024
“Interestingly, our study found that Hispanic women, who have similar socioeconomics and tumor stage as Black women, have higher rates of response to chemotherapy, which further supports our hypothesis that biological differences may exist within TNBC based on race/ethnicity,” said senior author Maggie DiNome. “Further research into understanding the biologic differences that affect response to treatment is necessary to identify more effective treatment options for patients with this aggressive breast cancer subtype and address the racial disparities in the outcomes.”
Although white women are diagnosed with this type of cancer at slightly higher rates, studies have previously found that Black women are more afflicted with aggressive forms of breast cancer than anyone else.
Per the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the mutations that contribute to the development of triple-negative breast cancer and estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer, namely BARD1, RAD51C, and RAD51D, are most often found in the genomes of Black women.
Along with being diagnosed at younger ages, breast cancer in Black women is more fatal. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, non-Hispanic Black women recorded an increased 41% chance of passing away once diagnosed.
Still, improvements in mortality rates have been recorded.
According to the CDC, death rates decreased across all demographics with the mortality rate decreasing an average of 1.4% per year for Black women. Per their latest report, the rate dropped from 35.7 in 1999 to 26.4 in 2020.
To lower risks for breast cancer, medical professionals recommend getting screened for cancer at younger ages, keeping active, avoiding alcohol and talking to a doctor about family history.
