Black women diagnosed with breast cancer from 2005 to 2022 less likely to receive curative treatment at Ohio cancer center

Black women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2005 and 2022 at a Ohio cancer center were less likely than White women to undergo curative intent surgery or receive endocrine therapy, according to a new study of more than 17,000 patients. Curative treatment aims to remove as much of the cancer as possible and extend the patient’s life expectancy.

Black patients also experienced longer delays for surgery, longer delays for radiotherapy and chemotherapy and longer time to initiation of endocrine therapy. They also had a higher risk of cognitive decline or dementia after treatment for their cancer.

The women were treated at a tertiary cancer center that serves urban, suburban, and rural areas and that includes a higher percentage of Blacks than the overall United State population.

The disparities “start with healthcare access and screening, reflect on all the stages of healthcare, including treatment, treatment-related adverse events, and outcomes,” said the lead author Nickolas Stabellini of the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

• See “Racial Disparities Worsen Treatment Patterns and Adverse Events in Breast Cancer” by Jordyn Sava on the Targeted Oncology website (February 8, 2023)
• See the full text of the scientific paper “Racial disparities in breast cancer treatment patterns and treatment related adverse events” by Nickolas Stabellini et al.