A higher percentage of Black breast cancer patients had IBC compared to White breast cancer patients, in a study of 7,624 cases of invasive cancer in seven states. IBC patients were also more likely to be from areas of higher poverty and those with metastatic disease were more likely to be Black and from poorer, more urban areas.
With regard to survival, Black and Hispanic IBC patients, as well as patients from areas of higher poverty and lower education had worse survival compared to White IBC patients.
Black IBC patients have worse outcomes because they have reduced access to care, not because of biological differences based on race or heritage. Because race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status are so strongly correlated,
black patients are less likely to get adequate breast cancer screening, and after diagnosis they generally have more limited access to care, limited treatment options, and difficulty with treatment adherence
See “Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities Are More Pronounced in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Than Other Breast Cancers” by Ryan A. Denu et al.
