Making An Impact this 2024 International Women's Day!

On this?2024 International Women’s Day, the state of Black Breast Cancer is getting worse.?In 2000, Black women were?31%?more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. In 2020, the disparity increased: Black women were?37%?more likely to die from breast cancer than white women (JAMA Health Forum). Today, Black women have a 41% higher death rate from breast cancer than white women.?Black women ages 20 to 29 have a 53% increased risk of breast cancer compared with white women of the same age group. Under 50, we are twice as likely to die than white women. We are three times more likely to get triple negative breast cancer and disproportionately affected by inflammatory breast cancer, both of which are aggressive subtypes.

The breast cancer ecosystem continues to want to blame these disparities on?factors including structural racism, medical mistrust, health care access inequities, poor socio-environmental conditions, social determinants of health… this list goes on. However,?data from Dr. Lauren McCollough of Emory University tells us that?Black women with private insurance are?60% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women with private insurance, and?Black women residing in high socioeconomic neighborhoods are?126% more likely to die than white counterparts residing in similar neighborhoods.

Frankly, screening guidelines are insufficient and the screening techniques and treatment therapies were never tested on our Black bodies. We now only have 3% participation in clinical trials. Though the FDA is requiring pharmaceutical companies to provide diversity?recruiting plans, they haven’t really figured out how to evaluate them or hold anyone accountable for their performance.

We?MUST?advance science for Black Breast Cancer. So, what can we do?

?Black Blessties:?You are the Gurl Boss of your Body! Demand the “Golden Rule” Standard of Care from your care team. Demand that your doctors treat you like they would want to be treated with the care they would give their families. ?Demand clinical trials from your doctors and don’t be afraid to demand more time, demand better explanations and ask them how their Black patients are doing on the therapies they recommend for you. Learn more about clinical trials and hear from Blessties talking about their experiences with them at WhenWeTrial.org. Fight Like Gurls!

?Young Black Women:?Know your bodies, know your HERstory, make your breast health a priority in your self-care routines. If you feel something unusual, demand attention from your doctors. Don’t let them dismiss you or delay screening. 3D mammography is essential. Get some awesome tools at LoveOfMyGurls.org.

?Providers and Care Teams:?Listen to your patients. Don’t dismiss them, especially if they are young.?Give them the time, attention, and care that you would want for you or your family members. Take note of—and act on—how your Black patients respond differently than your white patients. Remember that Black women die of breast cancer at a higher rate than white women at any age, any stage, and any subtype.

?Pharma:?Make your clinical trial recruitment commensurate with the burden of disease! Talk to patients with words we can spell. We know you have regulatory issues to address, but you can do better in how you communicate to patients. We want to see ourselves in your communication materials. Measure the impact of your marketing spend relative to the impact of your advocacy spend. Your true values are reflected in how you show up to us in our communities.

?Caregivers:?Put the mask on yourself first so you can be in the best emotional mindset and have the physical stamina to stand up for and get the best care for your loved ones.

?FDA:?Don’t approve drugs unless they perform on Black bodies or communicate that they?shouldn’t be used for Black Breast Cancer if they have not been tested with a patient base that is commensurate with the burden of disease.

?We all have much work to do!?

As a Blesstie who is alive today because of experimental drugs, know that I—and TOUCHBBCA—are committed to advancing science for Black Breast Cancer.

·????? We are breaking barriers and paving the way with the first Black woman-led group to win a Cancer Grand Challenge $25 million study. On?Team SAMBAI, under the leadership of?Dr.?Melissa Boneta Davis?of Morehouse School of Medicine, we are?focusing on Societal, Ancestry, Molecular, and Biological Analyses of Inequalities (SAMBAI). Dr. Davis is leading the global charge in understanding the complex interactions that contribute to cancer outcomes among populations of African descent.

·????? We are actively?recruiting Black Blessties for clinical trials for several pharmaceutical companies and helping them stay in the trials with our TOUCH Care, the first nurse navigator advocacy program. We are supporting patient care with our strategic alliance with Unite for HER.

·????? We are screening young Black women who are not eligible for mammograms with our partnership with the Bexa Alliance.

·????? We are continuing to go where Black women live, work, play, pray, and slay every week to educate our community about their Black Breast Cancer risks via our For the Love Of My Gurls campaign, and engage Black families in conversations to demystify clinical trials research and explain their importance. The 17,000 Black women that we have already recruited into portals is not enough.

·????? We now have a clinical trials portal, made especially for Black Breasties,?at WhenWeTri(al).

·????? Look for us every Wednesday at 6pmET for?The Doctor Is In?for the latest and greatest on Black Breast Cancer science and stories. And young women, check us out on the last Saturday of every month at 3pmET for?Pink Table Talk.?Both are?on the?BlackDoctor.org?Facebook page and on YouTube @touchbbca an hour after the live broadcasts.

?And get ready for a?SURPRISE?new program for Black Blessties coming this month to bring more resources and support for our community.

?This is what we are up to on this 2024 International Women’s Day.? What are you doing today?

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