December 10, 2020 -- Black women had high rates of health conditions linked to worse breast cancer outcomes in a study published on December 7 in
Cancer. These trends could be contributing to worse breast cancer outcomes for Black women despite years of better treatment options and widespread screening mammography.
The retrospective study, led by Kirsten Nyrop, PhD, looked at differences among 548 Black and white women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Black patients had higher rates of hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes at diagnosis, even after the authors adjusted for age and body mass index (BMI) score.
Both obesity and HR+ breast cancers have been rising in the U.S. for decades. While new treatments and widespread screening mammography have resulted in better breast cancer outcomes overall, Black women are still more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.