Breast Cancer Awareness Month: What Black Women Need to Know

Photo: Getty Images As we enter the fall season, it’s important to recognize October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This annual campaign dedicates its 31 days to honoring those we’ve lost, promoting medical exams and preventive care, raising awareness about the disease, and generating funds for research. In support of this mission, the Black Information Network is taking a closer look at how breast cancer affects our communities and sharing resources that center our unique experiences. Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths among American men and women. For Black women, the incidence rate has increased over the last 40 years, reversing the lower rates reported in 1975, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This rise is particularly evident among Black women aged 60 to 79, although the average age of diagnosis tends to be younger for Black women than for white women. While Black women are diagnosed with breast cancer less often than white women, they are more likely to die from it, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical School. A 2016 CDC report found that between 2000 and 2014, the mortality rate for Black women with breast cancer was higher than that...