Health Matters: Black Women Have Higher Breast Cancer Risk. A New FDA Ruling Offers Hope

Getty October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Black women are about 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women and are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age, at later stages, and with more aggressive types of breast cancer than white women. Earlier this month, the United States Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule that requires mammography result summaries to start, including a breast density notification statement. This rule may save lives in the Black community, as Black women tend to have denser breast tissue than white women, which may increase their risk of breast cancer and make it more difficult to spot the initial signs on a mammogram. Susan G. Komen, the world’s leading breast cancer organization, has offered a statement on the new ruling: “Knowledge is power, and all women can now have informed conversations with their medical providers about the screening plan that’s right for them based on factors influencing their breast cancer risk, including breast density,” Molly Guthrie, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy. Breast density is a measurement on a mammogram of the fibrous and glandular tissue, including the lobules and ducts that make and...