Breast Cancer in
African American Women
Breast cancer affects more women than any other type of cancer and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women.
Research Showsfacts in the US
● A woman in the US’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is 1 in 8.
● Breast cancer has the highest mortality rate of any cancer in women between the ages
of 20 and 59.
● African American women have a 31% breast cancer mortality rate – the highest of any
U.S. racial or ethnic group.
● Among women younger than 45, breast cancer incidence is higher among African
American women than white women.
● Younger women in general, and younger African American women in particular, are
more likely to present with the triple-negative subtype of the disease, a subtype that is
both more aggressive and associated with higher mortality.
● Over the past 20 years, despite the universal drop in mortality rates, we have seen a rise in the incidence of breast cancer in African American women. In particular, disparities between mortality rates for white and black women have grown significantly. The mortality rate for black women diagnosed with breast cancer is 42% higher than the comparable rate for white women. Triple-negative breast cancer is diagnosed more often in American women of African descent than in those of European descent in the United States. (Breast Cancer Prevention Partner, 2021).
