Black Women and Breast Cancer: Disparities and Research

More progress needs to be made to improve outcomes for Black women with breast cancer. Here’s how BCRF investigators are addressing the challenge. In the United States, breast cancer continues to be the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women. In 2024, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that more than 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 56,500 new cases of ductal carcinoma in situ/stage 0 breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the United States. While there has been an overall 44 percent decline in breast cancer deaths since 1989—thanks to gains in awareness, earlier diagnoses, and more effective treatments—there is a persistent mortality gap between Black women and white women. Data compiled by ACS highlight the need to close this devastating gap. While breast cancer incidence rates among Black and white women are similar, mortality rates are markedly different, with Black women having a roughly 40 percent higher death rate from breast cancer. Among women under 50, the disparity is even greater: While young women have a higher incidence of aggressive cancers, young Black women have double the mortality rate of young white women. Advances in early detection and treatment...