Black Women Get Less Breast Cancer Treatment

The study adds valuable information to what is known about ethnic differences in breast cancer, said Dr. Gloria Morris, assistant professor of medicine in the department of medical oncology at Kimmel Cancer Center, part of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

"Other studies have found treatment delays between races," she said. According to Morris, the take-home message here is that, "early detection is important so breast cancer can be caught at an early stage -- local instead of what this study refers to as regional stage, where cancer has reached the lymph nodes."

"It's also extremely important to have a good [patient] support system, to have equivalent access to care and certainly social intervention programs," Morris added.

Banerjee said the research points to the need for more educational interventions, so that all women understand their treatment options.

For women, her advice is to then "make a decision about the therapy, based on the factors that really affect survival."

More information

For more on black women and breast cancer, head to the American Cancer Society.

SOURCES: Gloria Morris, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, medicine, department of medical oncology, Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.; Mousumi Banerjee, Ph.D., research associate professor, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor; Oct. 8, 2007, online edition, and Nov. 15, 2007, print edition,Cancer