Five black women die needlessly every day from breast cancer in some US cities

In a country where access to health insurance can make the difference between life and death, mortality from curable illness is an uncomfortable reality. And the inequalities created by the health care system in America are stark.

A new study from the Sinai Urban Health Institute found that five black women die needlessly every day from breast cancer.


One of the most common forms of cancer for women, it has also become one of the most treatable in recent years.

One in nine women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her life time, but with early detection and good quality treatment, the outlook for women is very good.

So why are so many women still dying of this disease in one of the globe’s richest countries?

The 2012 Racial Disparity in Breast Cancer Mortality Study shows that societal factors are behind the differences in breast cancer mortality rates between white and black communities.

Genetics can only be blamed for a very small level of the disparity. Black women on low incomes are dying because they don’t have access to the information and treatment that could save their lives.

Researchers found that 21 of the 25 largest US cities have significant differences in breast cancer mortality rates between white and black women. In New York and Chicago, more than one black woman dies needlessly every week from the disease.

The findings paint a disturbing picture of a society where health outcomes and life chances are dramatically determined by ethnicity and economic status.

“Our research shows societal factors – not genetics – are largely to blame for the racial disparity in breast cancer mortality nationwide,” said Steve Whitman, one of the study’s lead authors.

“It’s incumbent on society to improve access to quality mammography and to ensure that breast cancer treatment is available to all women, including the under- and un-insured” he said.

The Sinai Urban Health Institute has issued a number of recommendations to address these shocking findings.

They recommend that all women, irrespective of their ethnicity or income, have access to high quality early detection screening and treatment. They also call for funded awareness raising programmes, giving all women access to the vital  information that could save their lives.