• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Clinical Trials Resource Center
    • Wellness on the Yard
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Health Conditions / Triple Negative Breast Cancer / New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Are NOT For Black Women!

New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Are NOT For Black Women!

Breast cancer screening guidelines

Last week, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)—a panel of experts that issues guidelines about preventative care—posted a draft recommendation that all women start bi-annual (every other year) routine breast cancer screening at 40 years old. This is a ten-year jump from the task force’s previous recommendation of starting breast screening at 50.

RELATED: 5 Women’s Health Screenings You Need Right Now!

“I think it’s a small step in the right direction after a huge step in the WRONG direction,” says Dr. Monique Gary, DO, MSc, FACS—Medical Director at Grand View Health/ Penn Cancer Network. “When their last recommendations were released in 2016, it did more harm than good in a few ways. Besides recommending against self-breast exams,  it spurred all these studies… spending valuable resources to prove harm of screening guidelines for Black women. In my opinion, it was tragic, when it is quite evident that delays in screening are one of the many forces at play in our presentation of more advanced disease.“

Many responses to this recent recommendation have overlooked a critical detail—it only applies to all people assigned female at birth who are at average risk for breast cancer. This guidance does NOT apply to women with dense breasts, Black women, or women with a family history of breast cancer. Black women, we are not at average risk!

The disturbing facts*

You May Also Like
View Our Resources To Better Understand How Clinical Trials May Help Advance Research

Black women under 35 get breast cancer at twice the rate of white women and die at three times the rate. Black women ages 40-49 are 80% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women. Black women are three times more likely than white women to be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer—a particularly aggressive subtype of breast cancer associated with worse outcomes, early relapse, high frequency of metastasis, and high mortality rate—and have the lowest survival rate at each stage of diagnosis.

RELATED: Should Black Women Be Screened Earlier For Breast Cancer?

Triple-negative breast cancer is more common in young women, and those diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 40 are twice as likely to have TNBC than those between the ages of 50 and 64. Women who are diagnosed with TNBC are 53% more likely to be under 40 years old. TNBC disproportionately occurs in younger Black women who are more likely to have poorer prognostic features than older patients upon diagnosis.

More than that, though, women with extremely dense breasts have a four to six times greater risk of developing breast cancer than women with mostly fatty breasts. Black women have statistically significantly higher (21.1%) absolute breast area density than white women. Black women also have statistically significantly (44.9%) higher volumetric density than white women. You don’t know whether you have dense breasts until you have had a mammogram.

Clearly, waiting to get our first mammograms at age 40 is way too late for Black women.

You May Also Like
13 Signs You Need to See a Dermatologist

RELATED: 12 Things Black Women Need to Know About the New Mammogram Guidelines

Black Women, so what does this mean for us?

As both a triple-negative breast cancer survivor and the CEO and co-founder of TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance (TOUCHBBCA), I read the updated task force recommendations with growing anger and concern for our young Black women, especially my own daughters. My family is currently fighting with our health insurance companies to cover the cost of mammograms for my daughters because we have three generations of breast cancer in our family HERstory.

To understand the scientific perspective outside of my own intense maternal reaction, I reached out to the brilliant TOUCHBBCA medical advisory board. Their overall thoughtful perspective was that moving the age of the first mammogram from 50 to 40 was a significant and long overdue first step for average women. But, once again, Black women are not average!

Black women, so what can we do to protect themselves?

Black Breast Cancer is a different disease and, in the same vein, Black Breast Health looks different for Black women. Too often young, Black women unaware of their risk are dismissed by doctors and end up with

Continue Reading

The Latest In Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Nina Simone

Black History of Health: Nina Simone

Arguably one of the most prolific entertainers in recent history, Nina Simone spent her career breaking barriers, shedding light, and fighting necessary battles. Many of which she won. One, however, fought for many years but ultimately succumbed to; breast cancer.  read more about Black History of Health: Nina Simone
can i get life insurance if i have breast cancer

Can You Get Life Insurance With Breast Cancer?

(more…)
chemo detox

5 Natural Remedies For Chemo Detoxing

New evidence suggests chemotherapy may be harmful to breast cancer patients. Thirty percent of breast cancer patients get chemotherapy. These medicines alter the immune system, and traditional physicians agree. Until now, no one knew how much. British research from the read more about 5 Natural Remedies For Chemo Detoxing
triple negative breast cancer

Diagnosed With Breast Cancer At 27: “It Felt Like a Nightmare”

When you are in your 20s and 30s, you have your whole life ahead of you. During this time, most women are starting their careers and starting families. But what happens when you get an unexpected diagnosis that rocks your read more about Diagnosed With Breast Cancer At 27: “It Felt Like a Nightmare”
immunotherapy medicine

A New Immunotherapy Medicine Can Help Black Women Combat Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Women’s health has taken a back seat to many healthcare studies. However, times are changing and more work is being done to better represent women’s health issues. More importantly, the healthcare system has changed its views on Black women’s health. read more about A New Immunotherapy Medicine Can Help Black Women Combat Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
triple negative breast cancer

Your Guide to Follow-Up Care For Triple Negative Breast Cancer

The period after being treated for triple-negative breast cancer can be wrought with anxiety because you don’t know what to expect. Fortunately, there are pre-determined paths for follow-up care depending on what your treatment entailed. Let’s look at a few read more about Your Guide to Follow-Up Care For Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • Lionel Richie Shares His Top 3 ‘Anti-Aging Secrets’Lionel Richie Shares His Top 3 ‘Anti-Aging Secrets’
  • Angela Bassett 7-Year Journey to Parenthood: Enjoy the JourneyAngela Bassett 7-Year Journey to Parenthood: Enjoy the Journey
  • ‘COVID Toes’ Might Be a Sign You Had the Disease'COVID Toes' Might Be a Sign You Had the Disease
  • YouTuber and Relationship ‘Expert’ Kevin Samuels Cause of Death RevealedYouTuber and Relationship 'Expert' Kevin Samuels Cause of Death Revealed
  • Football Legend & Coach Deion Sanders Has Toes AmputatedFootball Legend & Coach Deion Sanders Has Toes Amputated

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.