Press Releases

Breast Cancer in Women of Color

A day of learning and sharing for women of color and those who treat them

Breast cancer and women's health experts from Columbia University and the New York area will be presenting a series of informative lectures on breast cancer in women of color with emphasis on younger women on September 16, 2006. This educational event, which is open to the public, will focus on risks, screening and treatment, overcoming barriers to care, and options in complementary and alternative care.

One in eight women in the US will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, but African American and Latina women are dying in disproportionate numbers because of the barriers they face while fighting the disease. The problem is partially socio-economic. These groups are less likely to have regular mammograms, and are diagnosed at a later stage than white women. Access to health care, lack of insurance and the concentration of polluting industries in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods all contribute. However there are also genetic contributors. African American women have the highest mortality rates for breast cancer compared to other women, and although they do not develop breast cancer as frequently as white women, they face a 32% higher risk of dying from the disease than other women in the U.S.—even when they have access to excellent healthcare.

Facts about Women of Color and Breast Cancer

• Though breast cancer is less common in African American women than white women, when they do develop the disease they are more likely to die from it, especially if they are under age 50.
• The breast cancer death rate in African Americans is 37% higher than for whites.
• Among women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, tumors are hormone-receptor negative in 40% of African American women, compared with 23% in white women. Hormone-negative tumors are associated with worse outcomes and an increased risk of recurrence. They are not responsive to Tamoxifen, an effective medication used to reduce recurrence of hormone-positive tumors.
• Less research and educational resources have been dedicated to higher mortality rates for African-Americans.
• Issues facing younger women are particularly germane to women of color, who represent a disproportionate number of women diagnosed prior to age 40.
• The standard breast cancer screening method, mammography, which was developed for women over age 40, is not as effective in younger women, who have much denser breasts,
• Younger woman with breast cancer must face the possibility of early menopause.
• Chemotherapy and radiation treatments for breast cancer take a greater toll on a younger woman, threatening her fertility, and potentially leaving her with adverse health effects such as osteoporosis for more than half of her lifespan.

Topics covered during the event, which is open to the public include:

• Understanding risk in women of color;
• Breast imaging in the younger women;
• Treatment considerations in the younger woman;
• The young breast cancer survivor's experience;
• Removing barriers to care;
• Complementary and Alternative medicine
• The importance of research: consumerism and participation.

Program Event Directors

Patricia Hepburn
Outreach Coordinator
Recruitment Core
Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center

Karen Schmitt MA, RN
Director, Breast Cancer Screening Partnership
Co-Director Recruitment Core
Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
Columbia University

Deborah Schwarz-McGregor, RPA-C Executive Director, External Affairs
Chief Communications Officer
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center

Tasha Isles Smith
Outreach Coordinator, Recruitment Core
Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
Columbia University

Christine Rein
Events Coordinator
Department of Surgery, External Affairs
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center