An article titled “Many Black Women Refuse Breast Cancer Treatments” written by Steven Reinberg was published last week on May 22, 2009 stating that nearly 25 percent of the black women population within the United States have been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer yet choose to deny chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Despite the fact that black women residing within the U.S. have a lower chance of developing breast cancer compared to white women, their cancers, when diagnosed, are at an advanced stage with higher risks that requires more aggressive treatments (Phend). I personally decided to choose this article because I find it very worrisome that the black population, which has almost “twice the rate of advanced breast cancer” when compared to white women, are choosing to diagnose and check themselves when the tumor has already progressed profoundly. The worst part is that the black women, who know about their condition, choose to refuse any form of treatment.
Reinberg points out that Dr. Monica Rizzo, an assistant professor of surgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, has lead a team into conducting research in regards to this particular issue. Dr. Rizzo’s team was able to conclude that out of 107 women diagnosed and reported with breast cancer within the years of 2000 to 2006 in an inner city hospital, 87 percent of the women were black, and 20.5 percent of such population refused any form of chemotherapy and 26.3 percent of the patients refused radiation treatments. With such statistics that are provided within the tip of our fingers, I believe that the society truly needs to start making some awareness programs that drastically targets the black population. At times, it is made apparent that certain issues such as cultural and social differences come into the picture. For example, studies have shown that black wom
en fear the medical system and a lot of them cannot afford to get time off from their own work to go to the hospital to get treatment. Religion can also play a major role in this particular situation as black women may have misconceptions about breast cancer itself and become hesitant about seeking medical assistance and treatment. Reinberg does mention that Dr. Rizzo’s team has started a community outreach program; nevertheless, a lot more has to be done from this point forward. The black community does play a major role within our economy and within our society. It is very important for the U.S. to educate and to inform all women, about the potential hazards and treatments that are made available to breast cancer victims, especially among the black women population. If this issue becomes a continuous trend, then outcomes will definitely be affected. This is something that can be detected and treated, but only with the effort of the community as a whole. Education, persistency, and support is a start to help women with breast cancer, especially for black women. - References:
- Phend, C. (2009, March 25). Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Rates Higher in Black Women. In BreastCancer.org. Retrieved May 26, 2009, from http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/new_research/20090325.jsp
- Reinberg, S. (2009, May 22). Many Black Women Refuse Breast Cancer Treatments. In Forbes.com. Retrieved May 26, 2009, from http://www.forbes.com/feeds/hscout/2009/05/22/hscout627351.html
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