How Nashville works to end disparities facing Black women with breast cancer | Opinion
The Tennessean | Joseph Webb, Guest Columnist
Disparities in screening and breast cancer are largely underpinned by less access to high-quality health care from prevention to treatment.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women in the U.S. and the second leading cause of death from cancer among women after lung cancer. Black women are less likely, 57%-60%, to be diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
Differences in stage at diagnosis by race and ethnicity reflect inequities in the access and quality of breast cancer screening. Access to healthcare influences the use of prevention and early detection services− like tobacco cessation counseling and cancer screening− which impacts receiving cancer treatment and survivorship care.