No matter the type or stage of breast
cancer, minority women are more likely to be diagnosed later in the
disease than white women, and they are also less likely to receive
recommended treatments, a new study shows.While prior studies
have found such disparities before, the new research finds that it
exists "across all breast cancer subtypes," study lead author Lu Chen, a
researcher in the public health sciences division at Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center in Seattle, said in a news release from the
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
Chen's team looked at data from 18 U.S. population-based cancer
registries. Specifically, the researchers analyzed the demographics,
stage of disease, tumor grade and size, treatment, and health insurance
status for more than 100,000 American women.
The researchers also recorded the women's tumor subtypes, which can factor into prognosis and care.
For
example, the investigators looked at the tumor's hormone receptor (HR)
status, which means the tumor is more or less sensitive to hormonal
therapies. They also looked at whether or not the tumor tested positive
for human epidermal growth factor 2-neu (HER2), which can point to more
aggressive tumors. According to the researchers, compared to black
women, white women were more likely to have smaller tumors, and they
were also more likely have less-aggressive forms of breast cancer.
Black women were more likely to have large tumors and an aggressive
form of the disease known as "triple-negative" breast cancer. They were
also 40 to 70 percent more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease,
in all subtypes of breast cancer.
Across all types of breast
cancer, Hispanic women were also 30 to 40 percent more likely to be
diagnosed with stage 2 or 3 disease, the study found.
Racial and
ethnic disparities also appeared to affect women's treatment. For nearly
all types of breast cancer, black women were 30 to 60 percent more
likely to receive inappropriate treatment, the study showed.
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