Special to the American
What do the statistics say about breast cancer rates in African American women of the St. Louis area?
The most recent breast cancer statistics for the St. Louis area tell two different tales. While there is a lot of good news in the numbers; there is some bad news as well n when looking at all races combined we see that deaths from breast cancer are higher for the city than for both the state and the US. And driving much of these numbers seems to be a growing disparity between African American women and white women.
In a recent study done at Washington University, Dr. Mario Schootman reports that the difference in mortality rates between African American and White women has increased from 1990 to 2005. This is due to a significant decline in breast cancer mortality among White women and no decrease in mortality among African American women. Clearly, breast cancer disparities are a priority to improve health in the region.
What causes these differences and higher rates in St. Louis?
No one can say for certain why one person gets breast cancer and why another does not. There are factors that impact breast cancer risk, such as family history/genetics, exposure to carcinogens such as radiation and reproductive history. Similarly, there are no absolute reasons why one woman with breast cancer survives decades and another woman does not. Factors impacting the likelihood of survival include family history, type of tumor, and at how early the tumor was diagnosed. One contribution to the higher mortality rates in African American women is the fact that African American women may be more likely to suffer from more aggressive forms of breast cancer that are harder to successfully treat.
What can we do to change the rates and decrease the disparity in mortality rates in African American women?
The best thing that every woman can do to impact breast cancer mortality is to commit to regular screening. For women ages 20 to 39, this would be a clinical breast exam every one to three years. Women ages 40 and older should have a mammogram and a clinical breast exam every year. Mammograms detect the disease early when there are more treatment options.
Missouri’s Show Me Healthy Women program provides funding for breast and cervical cancer screening tests for women who meet the age and income criteria. To find out if you are eligible, call (314) 454-8466 if you are a Missouri resident and (888) 522-1282 if you are an Illinois resident. The Siteman Cancer Center mammography van also provides screening. Call (800) 600-3606 to find out when the van will be in your area.
The next thing you can do is to know your breast cancer risk. Talk with your doctor about your family history and other factors that impact your risk for breast cancer. Your risk will determine when you should start and how often you should have screenings with mammograms and/or clinical breast exams. For a snapshot of your breast cancer risk, go to YourDiseaseRisk at http://www.yourdiseaserisk.org/ .
You can’t do anything about some risk factors like your family history or how old you are. But there are steps you can take today to lower your chance of getting breast cancer:
• Eat a healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight
• Be physically active at least 30 minutes each day
• Avoid alcohol; or limit it to one drink per day
• Take a multivitamin or B complex supplement if you drink alcohol regularly
If you have breast cancer, there are things that you can do to lower the risk of reoccurrence after treatment. It is most important to follow the long-term treatment plan your oncologist has set out for you, which may include taking daily medication that decreases likelihood of recurrence. Next, try to stay as healthy as you can by eating fruits and vegetables, trying to keep weight in check, and making a habit of being physically active at least 30 minutes per day.