Racial Disparities in Mortality Risk for Women With Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Posted: Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Research presented in JAMA Oncology suggests that mortality risk may be higher in non-Hispanic Black women with nonmetastatic triple-negative breast cancer than in non-Hispanic White women with the same disease. Ying Liu, MD, PhD, of Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, and colleagues found that Black patients were less likely to receive surgery and chemotherapy, contributing to their increased disease mortality risk.
“Future studies that focus on tumor microenvironment, tumor biology, treatment efficacy, and access to care in African American women with triple-negative breast cancer could advance understanding of the drivers of triple-negative breast cancer outcome disparities and complement a deeper understanding of social factors,” concluded the study authors.
The retrospective study included 23,213 women with nonmetastatic triple-negative breast cancer between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2015. A total of 5,881 (25.3%) non-Hispanic Black women and 17,332 (74.4%) non-Hispanic White women were enrolled. Following adjustments for sociodemographic, clinicopathologic, and county-level factors, non-Hispanic Black patients were found to be less likely to undergo surgery or receive chemotherapy. Non-Hispanic Black patients had a higher breast cancer mortality hazard ratio of 1.16.
An association was noted between areas of residence and disease mortality hazard ratio. Non-Hispanic Black women living in socioeconomically less deprived counties or urban areas experienced worse outcomes. However, non-Hispanic Black women living in rural areas experienced superior outcomes versus non-Hispanic White women living in rural areas. Other factors influencing mortality risk for non-Hispanic Black patients included having stage II or III tumors treated with chemotherapy and being younger than age 65.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit jamanetwork.com.
