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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO HEALTH, MEDICAL, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
Study Reveals Widening Racial Disparity in Breast Cancer Mortality in
35 U.S. Cities
NEW YORK, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A national study
published today found a black: white disparity in breast cancer
mortality in 39 of the most populous U.S. cities, with 35 of those
cities experiencing a widening disparity over a 20-year period from
1990 to 2009. The 2014Racial Disparity in Breast Cancer Mortality
Study is the largest study of its kind and the first to examine racial
disparities in breast cancer mortality in 50 cities over two decades.
The study,released by the Avon Foundation for Women and published in
Cancer Epidemiology, found that 1,710 black women - approximately five
women per day - die on average annually largely due to racial
disparities in screening and breast cancer treatment.
The U.S. cities with the largest disparities are (in order of
disparity ratio): Memphis, Tenn.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Wichita, Kan.;
Houston, Texas; Boston, Mass.; Denver, Colo.; Chicago, Ill.; Phoenix,
Ariz.; Dallas, Texas; Indianapolis, Ind.
For national and city-specific data, please visit:
http://www.avonfoundation.org/causes/breast-cancer-crusade/disparities-study/
2014 Racial Disparity in Breast Cancer Mortality Study Findings The
2014 study, conducted by Sinai Urban Health Institute and the Avon
Foundation for Women, expands on a 2012 study that examined the racial
disparity in breast cancer mortality over a three-year period
(2005-2007) in the 24 largest U.S. cities. In an effort to see how
these disparities changed over a longer time period, this new study
analyzed the number of breast cancer deaths reported across four
five-year intervals between 1990 and 2009 in the 50 largest U.S.
cities; data were available for 41 of the most populous 50 cities.
The study found that in most cities the white death rate declined
between 1990 and 2009, while the black death rate did not change
substantially, resulting in an increasing disparity. Although the
death rates declined for both white and black women in the United
States as a whole over this time period, the white death rate
decreased twice as much, leading the researchers to identify four key
factors that led to this racial disparity in breast cancer mortality:
differential access to screening, quality of the screening process,
access to treatment, and quality of treatment.
Steve Whitman, Ph.D., director of Sinai Urban Health Institute and the
study's senior author, explained the disparity: "The geographical
variation and growth in the black: white disparity over time shows
that genetic factors comprise only a very small portion of the breast
cancer mortality disparity. Rather, we believe a more logical
explanation for the disparity is that certain technological advances
related to screening and treatment that became available in the 1990s
- such as digital mammography, advances in surgery and new drugs for
treatment - have been less accessible to black women, who are
disproportionately poor and un- or under-insured and less able to
obtain access to these advances."
Key Findings
-- Few of the cities had a black: white disparity during the first
time period (1990-1994), yet by the most recent time period
(2005-2009), 39 of the 41 cities analyzed had a black: white disparity
in breast cancer mortality, 23 of which were statistically significant
-- Between 1990 and 2009, 35 cities saw an increase in the disparity
during the 20-year period
-- 16 cities trended towards a black: white disparity in breast cancer
survival, but did not reach statistical significance (likely due to
sample size)
-- Memphis has the highest disparity of the 41 largest cities
analyzed, followed by Los Angeles
-- New York has the smallest disparity of the 50 largest cities
analyzed, followed by Baltimore
"The 2014 Racial Disparity in Breast Cancer Mortality Study has made
it evident that a large racial disparity for breast cancer mortality
exists in the United States. While the size of that disparity varies,
it exists in virtually every one of the cities analyzed - and it
appears to be growing," said Marc Hurlbert, Ph.D., executive director
of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. "Public and private institutions in
these cities need to join together to address these disparities. The
burden cannot be left only to the 'safety net' hospitals and health
centers."
After the 2012 disparities study that showed Memphis had the highest
disparity of the largest 25 U.S. cities, the Avon Foundation funded
work at Memphis' Methodist Hospital to identify the key barriers that
could be driving local disparities. The report from the study in
Memphis will be released March 18at the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer
Forum in Washington, D.C. and will inform future Avon funding in that
city.
Five Recommendations to Reduce The Risk of Breast Cancer Dr. Marc
Hurlbert provides five tips about how women can reduce their risk of
developing breast cancer:
Seek access to early detection programs and screening
- Low-income, uninsured and underinsured women can visit www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast to find low-cost breast cancer screenings across the United States.
Be knowledgeable of family and personal history
- If close relatives such as a mother, aunt or grandmother - or even male relatives - have had breast cancer, speak with a primary care doctor or Ob/Gyn about your specific risks and screening options.
- Alert your doctor to personal risk factors such as childbearing history, your hormone replacement use, and radiation exposure to the chest if treated for lymphoma as a child
Reduce alcohol use
- Regular consumption of one or more drinks a day for women is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
Maintain a healthy weight
- Staying healthy lowers the odds of getting breast cancer. Obesity and being overweight are linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, especially after menopause. To help maintain a healthy weight, eat more vegetables and fruits and limit red meat consumption.
New moms should breastfeed immediately after birth
- Experts recommend nursing a newborn within an hour of giving birth, if possible, and not supplementing with formula while in the hospital. Doctors recommend new mothers should breastfeed for at least six months. After a woman gives birth, she has a slightly increased risk for developing breast cancer over the next five to ten years (known as pregnancy-associated breast cancer).
Study Methodology The researchers - led by Bijou Hunt, the study's
main methodologist - measured racial disparity by calculating
non-Hispanic black: non-Hispanic white breast cancer mortality rate
ratios in each of the cities analyzed. A disparity ratio of greater
than one indicates a higher black mortality rate; a ratio of less than
one indicates a higher white death rate. In accordance with the our
previous 2012 study's findings, results showed that some cities, such
as Detroit and Las Vegas, have no disparity because mortality rates
from breast cancer for both white and black women are unacceptably
high. In contrast, New York, for example, has low mortality rates for
both black and white women and continues to have the smallest
disparity among the most populous cities. This study demonstrates the
geographical variation in disparities and that the black: white breast
cancer mortality disparity expanded in the majority of cities over the
observed 20-year period (1990 - 2009).
About the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade The Avon Breast Cancer Crusade,
which launched in 1992 and is led by the U.S.-based Avon Foundation
for Women, has placed Avon and the Avon Foundation for Women at the
forefront of the fight against breast cancer; today, Avon is the
leading corporate supporter of the cause globally. Avon breast cancer
programs in more than 50 countries have donated more than $815 million
for research and advancing access to care, regardless of a person's
ability to pay. Avon awards funding to beneficiaries ranging from
leading cancer centers to community-based grassroots breast health
programs to support breast cancer research and access to care. The
Crusade has enabled more than 18 million women globally to receive
free mammograms and breast cancer screenings, educated more than 145
million women about breast cancer, and funded promising research into
the causes of breast cancer and ways to prevent the disease. The Avon
Foundation raises funds for the Crusade through the sale of Avon "Pink
Ribbon" products, and through events such as the U.S. Avon Walk for
Breast Cancer series being held in 2014 in Houston (April 12-13);
Washington (May 3-4); Boston (May 17-18); Chicago (May 31-June 1); San
Francisco (July 12-13); Santa Barbara, Calif. (September 6-7); New
York (October 18-19); and Charlotte, N.C. (October 25-26). Visit
www.avonfoundation.org for more information.
About Sinai Health System Sinai Health System, a Chicago-based
private, not-for-profit organization, is comprised of seven member
organizations: Mount Sinai Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, Sinai
Children's Hospital, Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital, Sinai Medical
Group, Sinai Community Institute and Sinai Urban Health Institute. The
system has over 800 physicians on its hospital medical staffs, 695
licensed beds, 100,000+ annual emergency department patient visits and
eight physician residency training programs. www.sinai.org
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140304/DC75783LOGO
SOURCE Avon Foundation for Women
-0- 03/04/2014
/CONTACT: Karyn Margolis, Avon Foundation for Women, 212-282-5666, karyn.margolis@avon.com; Jacqueline Agosta Karas, Kaplow Communications, 212-221-1713, jagosta@kaplowpr.com
/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140304/DC75783LOGO
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CO: Avon Foundation for Women
ST: New York
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-- DC75783 --
0000 03/04/2014 15:37:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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