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Black Americans have the highest cancer mortality rates of any other racial or ethnic group in the United States, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health.
Research shows that Black men are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer compared to non-white Hispanics and possess lower five-year survival rates for a majority of cancers. Death rates for cervical cancer are higher for Black women, compared to non-white Hispanic women. Black American women are also 2.3 times more likely to die from stomach cancer than non-white Hispanics, while Black men are 2.5 times more likely to die from stomach cancer.
These alarming rates are puzzling for medical experts like Dr. Tesia McKenzie, a breast surgical oncologist at Hackensack Meridian Health’s Bayshore Medical Center. According to the American Cancer Society, the average risk of an American woman developing breast cancer is one in eight throughout her lifetime. Though Black women are less likely than white women to be diagnosed with breast cancer, they are more likely to die from it.
Dr. McKenzie said that a potential contributing factor to these rates is the lack of awareness about screening. These tests detect cancers in the body before symptoms arise, and cancer treatments work best when the disease is found early.
“Some women in the African American community aren’t going for their annual mammograms or breast cancer screening, and so they’re being diagnosed at later stages because they didn’t know they needed to be screened,” said Dr. McKenzie. “And if you’re diagnosed at a later stage, then that increases your risk for dying from breast cancer.”
There are several barriers, in addition to limited awareness, that prevent Black women from accessing timely and appropriate care. This includes low socio-economic status, lack of available resources, and even distrust, she explained.
“There is a lot of distrust in the African American community when it comes to healthcare,” she said. “It may not be that women just don’t want to go for screening; they might be just scared too, and they might just need a little bit of extra time to discuss the importance of it.”
For Dr. McKenzie, understanding the historical tension between the Black community and the healthcare system is one way healthcare providers can better serve Black patients. She also notes the importance of providing individualized care and recommendations to patients.
With mortality rates for all major causes of death elevated for Black Americans, the most critical step Black individuals can do for their health is to take control when they can.
“What we can control is, when we can go into the doctors making sure we’re getting our screenings, making sure that we’re asking questions and are aware of our medical history, our family history,” said Dr. McKenzie. “We’ve overcome so much, and we’re still here, and even though we can’t control everything, we can try and do something to take control of our health. We really should do that.”
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