The study analyzed data from more than 415,000 breast cancer deaths in U.S. female patients between 2011 and 2020.
They found that 27 of every 100,000 Black women in their 40s die of breast cancer each year.
Thats higher than the 15 deaths per 100,000 among all U.S. females.
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But each racial/ethnic group reaches that risk threshold at a different age.
How Much Will Early Screening Actually Reduce Breast Cancer Deaths?
Researchers will need to run clinical studies to further investigate how screening ages factor into cancer mortality.
In general, early detection can help clinicians treat cancer before it becomes life-threatening.
Research indicates that high-quality screening can lead to a 40% reduction in breast cancer mortality.
When breast cancer is detected in people younger than 40, patients are less likely to need amastectomyand chemotherapy.
When breast cancer is detected in younger people, it tends to be an aggressive subtype calledtriple-negative.
Additionally, Black women tend to havedenser breast tissuethan women of other racial and ethnic groups.
The new study suggests that the benefit may outweigh the potential harms for Black women.
What Contributes to Breast Cancer Death Disparities?
There are many factors beyond screening that contribute to inequalities in breast cancer outcomes.
Besides, environmental factors like chemical exposure could contribute to the development of aggressive triple-negative breast cancer.
Black people tend to have disproportionately high levels of toxic chemicals linked to breast cancer risk in their bodies.
Improving equitable access to care could help reduce disparities.
The most common cause of developing breast cancer is being a middle-aged woman, Jochelson said.
Women should all get screened.
Even if they dont have any family members that have had breast cancer, theyre still at risk.
Giaquinto AN., Sung H, Miller KD, et al.Breast cancer statistics, 2022.
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