SISTER2SISTER

BREAST CANCER IS THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF CANCER DEATH AFTER LUNG CANCER IN WOMEN IN THE US OVERALL, BUT ITS THE LEADING CAUSE OF CANCER DEATH IN BLACK AND HISPANIC WOMEN. GEOGRAPHICAL DISPARITIES IN BREAST CANCER INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY ARE DUE TO THE DIFFERENCES IN THE PREVALENCE OF RISK FACTORS AND ACCESS TO SCREENING AND TREATMENT. ALL OF THESE ARE INFLUENCED BY A WOMANS SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND HER DISTANCE TO MEDICAL SERVICES, AS WELL AS GOVERNMENT POLICIES IN THE STATE WHERE SHE LIVES. MOST NEW BREAST CANCER CASES ARE DIAGNOSED AT A LOCALIZED STAGE, MEANING THEY HAVE NOT SPREAD OUTSIDE OF THE BREAST. THESE EARLY-STAGE CANCERS ARE MOST OFTEN FOUND DURING BREAST CANCER SCREENING AND TYPICALLY HAVE A HIGH RATE OF SURVIVAL BECAUSE TREATMENT IS MORE EFFECTIVE AT THIS STAGE. BLACK WOMEN STILL HAVE A 4% LOWER INCIDENCE RATE OF BREAST CANCER THAN WHITE WOMEN BUT A 40% HIGHER BREAST CANCER DEATH RATE. BLACK WOMEN HAVE THE LOWEST SURVIVAL FOR ALL SUBTYPES OF BREAST CANCER. SISTER2SISTE