Over the years, the likelihood of dying within 10 years of diagnosis declined regardless of race: Among white women, the 10-year death rate dropped from just under 21% in the early 1990s to 14% between 2010 and 2015.
Among Black women, that figure fell from 36% to 26%, the researchers report.
According to Hines, measures to address the gap in death rates over the years have largely focused on increasing access to mammography screening. That makes sense, he says, since earlier diagnosis should mean better survival odds.
But women can face other obstacles after screening, especially if they are lower-income, he says. They include delays in starting treatment, sticking with it and continuing with long-term follow-up.
Hines says more research is needed to figure out the specific reasons Black women still have a higher death rate from breast cancer.
While the study was done in Florida, Hines says the overall trend — a narrowing but persistent racial gap — mirrors what’s been seen nationally in recent years.
And it’s likely, he said, that many of the same factors linked to the disparity in this study are playing out in other states, too.
More information
The American Cancer Society has more on finding and paying for cancer treatment.