Health

Breast cancer deaths for Chicago blacks double that of whites, data show

by LotusFlower | October 24, 2008 at 03:33 pm

166 views | 17 Recommendations | 5 comments

Death rates from breast cancer for black women in Chicago are double those of white women. This is a shocking revelation especially given that back in 1980 the figures were equal.

In 1980, black women and white women in Chicago with breast cancer were equally likely to die.

Since then, death rates for white patients have improved dramatically. But that is not the case for their African-American counterparts, who are now dying at a rate 116 percent higher than whites, according to data released Wednesday by the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force.

Moreover, the gap has widened. Last year, the group analyzed data through 2003 and found a 68 percent higher death rate for black women. The latest study, conducted by researchers at Sinai Urban Health Institute, looked at vital records through 2005, obtained from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Experts say genetics or biology alone cannot explain the difference. The racial gap in Chicago was twice that of the United States and sevenfold that of New York City.

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Rachel Nixon

at 19:00 on October 24th, 2008

So is the reasoning behind this shocking statistic that black women in Chicago have considerably worse access to medical care - specifically diagnosis and treatment - than white women?

Rhonda J Mangus

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 19:03 on October 24th, 2008

LotusFlower, I like this story. It's good stuff.

dunkelberg

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 19:12 on October 24th, 2008

My guess is healthcare access is a large part of it. However, you also have many poor whites and hispanics. Education and environment probably also play a role.

Black women are less likely to get mammograms, the task force notes, and when they do, the mammograms are more likely to be of inferior quality. Those diagnosed with cancer also are less likely to have access to quality treatment.

Personal finances are a factor, as Carole Alexander knows. She was unemployed and uninsured and had spent the last of her savings on essentials when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in February. She waited two months after finding the lump to have it checked, hoping it would go away. "There are probably a lot of women like me," said Alexander, 54.

Barry Artiste

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 20:13 on October 24th, 2008

LotusFlower, I like this story. It's good stuff. Actually because of a dense mammary mass in Asian women, Asian women are the worst of all when coming down with Breast Cancer. You would think with all the wonders in science, they would finally have a cure by now.

rumana husain

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 09:13 on October 30th, 2008

LotusFlower, I like this story. It's good stuff. have they found specific reasons for this or is it due to lack of early detection/accessible medical help?