The Race Gap: Survival rates for significantly lower for Black women

The American Cancer Society says Black women have a rate of breast cancer 4% lower than that of white women, but their death rate is 40% higher. And it’s not because they have more aggressive cancers, researchers say. “It is time for health systems to take a hard look at how they are caring differently for Black women,” according to Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director for ACS Cancer Surveillance. That disparity isn’t exclusive to breast cancer. It extends to all areas of health, from maternal mortality to chronic conditions such as diabetes. In 2021, data showed the life expectancy for African Americans was 70.6 years, compared to 76.4 years for white people and 77.7 for Hispanics. “Incidence of chronic disease is a specific challenge in our community, not only experience at increased rate but they are also more likely to die of those diseases than their white counterparts in the same neighborhood,” said Dr. Kanika Tomalin, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, which is home to the Center for Health Equity. “So we look at what is the determinant that makes this a death sentence for people of color and a manageable condition for others.”...