african american women and breast cancer

According to the Center of Environmental Oncology of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute more African American women die of breast cancer than do white women.  This is probably due in part to racial disparities, higher exposure to environmental carcinogens, different lyfe style, and genetic factors. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that African American women with breast cancer fare worse than white women because they may have not access to quality health care or health insurance, or are often diagnosed with tumors that are more aggressive, or are exposed to toxic chemicals in a greater proportion at workplace. Although 1 in 8 Americans is African American, 1 in 3 houskeepers and blue collar workers, and 1 in 2 workers in sanitation jobs, are African American. The environmental risks of breast cancer include: cigarette smoking (including second-hand smoke); drinking more than two drinks of alcohol every day; obesity and being overweight especially after menopause; diets high in well done, smoked, preserved, fried or barbecued meats or fish, and diets low in fruits and vegetables. 

Relevant exposure to chemicals is found in polluted water and air, exhaust fumes from cars, trucks and buses, combustion products formed from burning wood chips, rubber, and when cooking meat or fish at high temperatures.  Workplace exposure to carcinogen chemicals occurs for dry cleaners, nurses, hairdressers, barbers, trucks/bus drivers. Personal risk factors associated with breast cancer include: family history of breast cancer; age older than 60; and use of hormone replacement therapy for more than a few months. 

What happens instead to African women? The rates of breast cancer seem much lower in most of Africa. Among regions, the age-standardized incidence rate is lowest in Central Africa (16.5/100,000) and highest in North America (99.4/100,000). The 5-year survival, however, is about 73 percent in industrialized countries, and 57 percent overall in developing countries. In summary, in low-income developing countries the incidence of breast cancer is lower than in the USA but the mortality rate is much higher. Accurate screening programmes to diagnose the tumor as early as possible represent the best tool to reduce breast cancer mortality but in most African countries they are still far from being implemented.