Women’s History Month Exclusive
By Terri Avery Wiggins
Many diseases exist today that are incurable. However, proper education and awareness can halt the development and reduce the risk of certain diseases such as breast cancer. Over the years, our Black community has encountered systemic issues that have had an impact on our well-being and education about our health.
Breast cancer has disproportionately affected our community, specifically Black women. It is time more than ever to become informed and aware of this disease that is silently taking away the lives of Black females.
The chilling facts about how breast cancer relates to Black women became personal in August 2003 during my yearly physical when a lump was detected in my right breast. After several mammograms, biopsies, and oncology visits, I was diagnosed with the most common type of breast cancer, Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.
The cancerous cells had developed in one of my ducts, spread to surrounding tissues, and escalated to 12 underarm lymph nodes. The cancer was categorized as Stage 2A; therefore, it was recommended that I undergo 6 months of chemotherapy to prevent the growth of cancerous cells.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) says that there are currently more than 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. Based on statistics published by ACS over the years, there has been improvement, but the mortality rate is still too high.
This year they predict that 36,260 Black women will get breast cancer of which 6,800 will die. We are 41% more likely to die from breast cancer than White women, despite lower incidence of the disease.
Self-breast checks, yearly physicals, and mammograms are great early detection steps. However, there are still risk factors found in Black communities that increase our chances of getting breast cancer.
One risk factor is a lifestyle choice like an unbalanced diet and lack of exercise that can, unfortunately, lead to hypertension (high blood pressure/HBP) and diabetes. Thirty-seven percent of Black women develop this disease at a much younger age than White women. Black women have a 20% higher death rate than White women when it comes to diabetes. Researchers have identified a protein found in diabetes and high blood pressure that increases the likelihood of developing breast cancer.
Another risk factor is genetics. Unfortunately, Black women are more likely to inherit genetic mutations that increase one’s risk of breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer is a type of invasive breast cancer that is aggressive, hard to treat, has a greater chance of returning, and is more prevalent in Black women.
If breast cancer runs in your family, you should inquire about the BRCA genetic test. It is a blood test that uses DNA analysis to recognize breast cancer-susceptible genes BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Another risk factor found in Black communities is environmental factors. Chemicals found in beauty products have been found to increase the risk of breast cancer. Certain chemicals in Black women’s products like perms and dyes are 45% more likely to contain more harmful chemicals than White women’s, simply because the chemicals in our products are stronger for straightening purposes.
Air pollution is another environmental factor associated with breast cancer. On average, Black people are 75% more likely to live near industrial plants. Exposure to air pollutants deposited from these plants can cause health issues, namely, breast cancer.
Before being diagnosed with breast cancer, I had no clue of what breast cancer entailed, but today I am more aware and understand the dire need for health education improvement in our Black communities. Knowledge gives us Black women the power to live longer and healthier lives. Let’s join forces and change these dreadful statistics for future generations.
