Genetic testing can help eliminate disparities in breast cancer survival rates for Black women, according to new research.
Published in npj Breast Cancer, the study was conducted by Dr. Sonya Reid and other Vanderbilt University researchers. The mission of the study was to determine the role genomic differences have in racial survival disparities for women who were diagnosed with HR+HER2-breast cancer. Over 1,000 participants were involved in the study.
In their final report, the researchers found that the three-year survival mark was affected not by race but by the genomic subtype.
Through genomic testing which analyzed tumor DNA, Black women with low-risk tumors had the same outcome as white women, recording a 97.7% recurrence-free survival rate. The findings indicate that Black women generally are not well-treated once diagnosed with breast cancer.
“The over-representation of Basal-Type tumors among Black females with HR+/HER2– breast cancer underscores a critical need to move beyond standard clinical markers such as ER% staining for identifying higher-risk tumor types,” said Dr. Reid, per Agendia. “BluePrint Basal-Type tumors demonstrate clinical behavior similar to triple-negative breast cancer and may warrant more aggressive treatment. Incorporating molecular subtyping enables more precise identification of high-risk participants and helps guide more tailored, personalized care.”
As of now, in the U.S., Black women are more likely to pass away after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast Cancer Prevention Partners says that Black women have a 40% mortality rate. The rate is more than for any other demographic. Black women are also more likely to be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.
Identified as an aggressive form of cancer, triple-negative breast cancer grows quickly and spreads faster than other types of breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for 10% to 15% of all diagnosed breast cancer cases.
Sisters Networking INC. reports that one in eight women is generally diagnosed with breast cancer. Approximately one in 43 will pass away once diagnosed, resulting in 42,170 annual deaths.
Amongst Black women, approximately 12% will be diagnosed with this specific cancer within their lifetime.
Black women are more often linked to lower survival rates due to undertreatment. Often diagnosed at later stages of the cancer, they are more likely to have disparities in treatment and treatment access.
According to the National Cancer Institute, improvements can be made by providing cancer screenings to everyone in the U.S. and by studying any potential biological differences amongst women diagnosed with breast cancer.
