American Cancer Society launches landmark study to address disparities in Black women’s cancer survival rates

The American Cancer Society is embarking on an unprecedented initiative spanning 20 states, including the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, to investigate the troubling disparities in cancer survival rates among Black women. Despite overall declines in cancer deaths, Black women continue to face disproportionately high mortality rates, a phenomenon the organization aims to address through its newly unveiled& VOICES of Black Women study. “While cancer deaths have declined, Black women maintain a high death rate,”& said Dr. Lauren McCullough, co-principal investigator and visiting scientific director at the American Cancer Society, during a recent briefing.& “With few exceptions, Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer, aggressive tumor types, and have higher cancer-specific mortality rates than other women,”& McCullough added. This disparity& is especially pronounced& in breast cancer, where Black women face a 40% higher mortality rate than white women despite having a lower rate of diagnosis by 4%. Moreover, Black women are 60% more likely than white women to succumb to cervical cancer and nearly twice as likely to die from endometrial cancer. The VOICES of Black Women study aims to enroll over 100,000 Black women aged 25 to 55, making it the& country’s& most significant...