Op-Ed: Is a Revolution in Cancer Treatment Within Reach?

cancer treatment

Laura Crandon, founder and president of Touch4Life, a breast-health equity nonprofit, shares her thoughts on The New York Times Opinion guest essay “Is a Revolution in Cancer Treatment Within Reach?” and discusses the importance of biomarker testing for Black women.

While Kate Pickert points out many disparities in care and outcomes, she doesn’t mention a big factor tied to many revolutionary treatments: biomarkers.

Black women like me, for example, are more than 50 percent less likely to receive genetic and genomic tests to identify biomarkers for breast cancer that make us eligible for precision oncology clinical trials and lifesaving targeted drugs, such as antibody drug conjugates, which target specific tumor cells.

Precision oncology requires knowing the mutations driving a person’s breast cancer. Biomarkers are the key to unlocking cancer risks and treatment.

However, many nonwhite women, like me, aren’t being tested, so when a clinical trial is looking for women with a specific genetic mutation, we won’t know we are eligible because we don’t know that we have that mutation. When the latest lifesaving drug comes on the market, we won’t know if the drug is right for us because our biomarkers aren’t known.

As a unicorn — a Black woman with metastatic breast cancer, former health care executive, clinical trial participant and beneficiary of biomarker testing — I know we need to make biomarker testing more accessible to change the trajectory for all women of color.

Touch4Life Boilerplate:

Touch4Life is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting breast health equity. Our mission is rooted in the experiences of Laura Crandon who is a Black breast cancer survivor, driving us to educate, engage, and empower individuals within the community to actively prioritize and embrace lifelong breast health.

Through our comprehensive programs and initiatives, Touch4Life strives to bridge the gaps in breast health awareness, access to screenings, and support services that disproportionately affect marginalized communities. We firmly believe that every person, regardless of their background or circumstances, deserves equitable access to quality breast health resources and care.

With a focus on education, Touch4Life aims to empower individuals with accurate information, dispelling myths and misconceptions surrounding breast health. We provide essential knowledge about risk factors, early detection methods, and the importance of regular screenings to foster proactive and informed decision-making.

At Touch4Life, we firmly believe in the power of empowerment. We strive to empower individuals with the tools, resources, and support they need to navigate their breast health journeys confidently. Through our initiatives, we encourage women of color to take ownership of their health, seek appropriate screenings, and engage in self-care practices.

Touch4Life Website: https://www.touch4life.org

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