Breast Cancer Clinical Trials Are Missing Black Women – BlackDoctor.org

Good news: There’s been an overall decline in breast cancer deaths over the last 30 years. Bad news: Black women have a mortality rate 41 percent higher than that of White women. These differences are multifactorial, but are partly a result of underrepresentation of Black patients in clinical trials.

Different populations can respond differently to therapies including differences in side effects, therefore, clinical trials for breast cancer that include Black women are crucial to advancing health equity. 

What are clinical trials?

Clinical trials, which are research studies involving human volunteers to evaluate medications, vaccines, or medical devices for safety and effectiveness, are vital in bringing forth new treatments for diseases like cancer. According to the most recent drug trial data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), only 11 percent of the near 5,000 participants in the clinical trials of 18 new cancer drugs approved in 2020 were Black or Hispanic.

This highlights the low minority representation in clinical trials, even though these groups are more likely to be affected by certain cancers. This persistent and significant disparity not only hinders the development of effective treatments for Black women with breast cancer but further perpetuates health inequities. 

Why is Black participation in clinical trials important?

It is vitally important that research participants represent the people most impacted by the disease or condition being studied. According to the 2022-2024 American Cancer Society Cancer Facts and Figures for African American/Black People, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Black women, and an estimated 6,800 deaths from breast cancer occurred among Black women in 2022, making it the leading cause of cancer death in this population.

Additionally, studies have shown a high prevalence of triple-negative breast cancer, a subtype of breast cancer that is aggressive by nature with a complex biology, among younger Black women and those of African descent. Since triple-negative breast cancer does not have any of these receptors, it tends to be more challenging to treat.