A new grant will reportedly fund research to find healthcare barriers for Black women.
The grant, funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc., will total up to $1.58 million and support a new study by researchers from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing and West Cancer Center and Research Institute.
Scheduled to start on July 1, the study will look to analyze the lack of health care for Black women who have already been diagnosed with de-novo metastatic breast cancer or can potentially develop breast disease.
The study will reportedly be split into three different groups. Whereas the first group will focus on 75 Black women and trans men who have de-novo metastatic breast cancer, the second group will be made up of 75 Black women and trans men with a high risk for developing breast disease. The third group will consist of 100 clinicians.
“For the last seven years, my research has explored how interpersonal factors, specifically patient-clinician communication, impact health outcomes among Black adults,” said Assistant Professor Janeane Anderson, PhD. “In the South, we see delays, access issues, and unnecessary burden at every step of the cancer continuum for Black women. I’m trying to understand why and what can be done to change it.”
The funding for the newest study comes amidst a reported increase in rates of breast cancer amongst Black women.
Despite a similar incidence, mortality from breast cancer among Black women is 41% higher compared with white women. Read our facts & figures page to learn more about racial disparities in breast cancer incidence and mortality rates. https://t.co/MWIcscD0tM pic.twitter.com/oBfKz3Ri4j
— National Breast Cancer Coalition (@NBCCStopBC) June 21, 2024
Per the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., approximately 1 in 5 Black women test positive for triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive form of the cancer. The rate is the highest amongst all racial and ethnic groups.
Although overall breast cancer deaths have declined by 42%, Black women are also more likely to have fatal cases as they have the lowest 5-year relative breast cancer survival rate from anyone else. Overall, they are 40% more likely to pass away when compared to white women.
Younger Black women are also at a higher risk of passing away from breast cancer, regardless of their age. Per the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, young Black women are twice as likely as young white women to have fatal cases of breast cancer.
“This study would be the most extensive qualitative evaluation of how social, economic and health factors affect cancer patients in the midsouth,” said Dr. Gregory Vidal, a researcher involved in the upcoming study. “Given the similarities of Memphis to other cities, the result could have applications beyond the borders of Memphis.”
