I could not let October pass without addressing Breast Cancer Awareness. At this point I wonder if there are any of us who do not know of someone that has been affected by this horrible disease. Whether it be our mother, aunt, sister, wife or friend we’ve seen someone go through it. We know of survivors and unfortunately we know of women who have lost their lives. I think it is a good thing that so much attention is being paid to the disease. However, despite all the media attention the fact still remains that breast cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death for Black women. We develop the disease at a younger age than white women and while white women are more likely to get the disease, Black women are more likely to die from it.

Why is it that we are more likely to die from it? Recent studies suggest that breast cancer might appear in a more deadly form among Black women. Yet, doctors and patients agree that the major reason was summed up by Morehouse Medical School President Dr. Louis Sullivan that “Minority women, particularly Black women, do not have sufficient access to breast cancer information or screening facilities.” The research indicates that breast cancer outcomes for African-American women might be improved by lowering the recommended age of initial screening from 40 years to 33 years, the age at which the percentage of African-American women who develop breast cancer is similar to the percentage of Caucasian women in whom the disease develops under 40 years of age.

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