Women with inflammatory breast cancer are living longer, but gap persists between White and Black patients

Women with inflammatory breast cancer — a rare, highly aggressive form of the disease — are living about twice as long after diagnosis than their counterparts in the mid-to-late 1970s, according to University of Michigan research led by Hannah Abraham (above).

But despite overall improvements in survival, the analysis showed an ongoing disparity in life expectancy between White and Black patients.

The factors behind these racial disparities “might include awareness about the signs and symptoms of IBC among Black patients, biological and genetic differences, delays in diagnosis and treatment, the standard of care patients receive, including follow-up and survivorship care, and environmental factors,” said Abraham.

See “Women with inflammatory breast cancer are living longer, but the gap between white and black patients persists” on the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation website (October 12, 2020)

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