Breast cancer is a devastating disease that affects millions of women worldwide, and recent studies have shown that black women are more prone to the disease than their Caucasian counterparts. As such, medical health experts are urging black women to embrace earlier screening for breast cancer to reduce the incidence of complications and deaths associated with the disease.
According to the physicians, the study has confirmed that breast cancer in black women tends to be more aggressive, making early detection essential to allow curative outcomes. The earlier black women get screened for breast cancer, the better for them, as breast cancer in young black women tends to have more aggressive biology.
The study, which was published in the JAMA Network Open Journal, analysed data on 415,277 women in the United States who died of breast cancer from 2011 to 2020. The researchers recommended that black women should screen for breast cancer at 42 instead of at 50, as advised for their Caucasian counterparts. However, the health experts recommend that black women should start screening for breast cancer from the age of 40, even earlier than the guidelines suggest.
Dr. Olubukola Ayodele, Consultant Medical Oncologist at the University of Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Leicester Cancer Research Centre, stressed that early detection is vital to ensure curative outcomes. She noted that one of the reasons for poor survival outcomes in young black women is late presentation, as they tend to have more advanced diseases (stages 2-4) before getting screened.
Dr. Ayodele further explained that young women usually have denser breast tissue, making conventional mammography an adequate screening tool. However, ultrasound, MRI, or contrast-enhancing mammography are better ways of screening and identifying breast lumps in younger women.
Dr. Chisom Njoku, a Board Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician and Founder, Dietal Health Labs, added that breast cancer is also deadlier for black women than for any other race. She emphasized the need for early screening to reduce the incidence of complications and deaths associated with the disease.
Breast cancer is a devastating disease that affects millions of women worldwide, and black women are more prone to the condition than their Caucasian counterparts. As such, medical health experts are urging black women to embrace earlier screening for breast cancer to ensure better treatment outcomes and reduce the incidence of complications and deaths associated with the disease. Early detection is vital to allow curative outcomes, and screening should start from the age of 40 for black women to improve survival rates.