Do Black men and women die more often from breast cancer?
The good news is that when all conditions are equal, Black women with triple receptor-negative breast cancer survive just as long as other women with the disease, according to findings from a recent study of nearly 500 women. “When similar treatment, care, and follow-up are delivered to women with triple receptor-negative breast cancer, survival is similar between the two racial groups,” Dr. Shaheenah Dawood said at a breast cancer conference sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology last month. Problem is, in the real world, things aren’t equal. :: NEW PAGE :: African-Americans have the highest death rate from breast cancer. Only 76 percent of Black women are alive after the five-year hallmark of a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, while 90 percent of White women survive that long or longer. Also, according to federal Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER), the cancer registry, African-American men who were treated for black male breast cancer had a 66 perc
