2022 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
It’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the campaigns have begun from media outlets to company advertisements. Continuous displays of pink attire and ads remind us to get a mammogram and areas of concern when conducting self-exams. The campaigns for breast cancer awareness are crucial to bringing national attention to breast cancer and providing information on this very important health concerns. Unfortunately, breast cancer outcomes have a higher and disproportionate impact on African American women. Being informed about options and how to examine yourself correctly could be a life-or-death matter. In this article, we want to highlight how African American women are finding new ways to support one another when diagnosed with breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Awareness month began in 1985 as a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the Pharmaceutical Division of Imperial Chemical Industries. The first national broad campaign was the Pink Ribbon Bag in 1992, established by Adara cosmetics. Unfortunately, the campaigns didn’t decrease how many Black women were dying from breast cancer.
Black women are diagnosed with breast cancer at the same rate as white women. However, according to the American Cancer Society, Black women are 40% more likely to die from the disease and twice as likely to die if they are older than 50. There isn’t adequate data, but there have been studies that suggest systemic racism has impacted the death rates of breast cancer for Black women. “Research has shown that Black women are more likely to suffer from chronic, lifetime stress that can negatively influence how they respond to breast cancer and how well they fare in the long run.” (Adana Llanos, Ph.D., 2022
The journey of treating breast cancer is not a process that one should deal with alone. Patient navigation or peer navigation can lower costs, reduce hospital re-admissions and emergency room visits, and improve quality of life of women with breast cancer. (Peer Navigators Aim to Help Black Women with Breast Cancer | Stanford Medicine, 2022) The concept of peer-navigated programs came from the need to provide more information and resources for Black women. In 1990, patient navigation programs were introduced to a Harlem Hospital to assist Black women with late-stage breast cancer.
The journey of treating breast cancer is not a process that one should deal with alone. Patient navigation or peer navigation can lower costs, reduce hospital re-admissions and emergency room visits, and improve quality of life of women with breast cancer. (Peer Navigators Aim to Help Black Women with Breast Cancer | Stanford Medicine, 2022) The concept of peer-navigated programs came from the need to provide more information and resources for Black women. In 1990, patient navigation programs were introduced to a Harlem Hospital to assist Black women with late-stage breast cancer.
Women involved in a group where they can talk about their concerns and struggles can help with advocating and sharing resources. Black women have higher levels of stress that translate into lower quality of life measures, such as pain, lack of energy, mental distress, poor sleep, and reduced ability to function, compared to their white counterparts. (Peer Navigators Aim to Help Black Women with Breast Cancer | Stanford Medicine, 2022) Providing a safe space where Black women can be encouraged talk about their unique situations can make a big difference. Black Ladies Advocation for Breast Cancer Care (BLACC) is one organization that helps conduct research for peer navigation groups. We are stronger together. Let us continue this fight against breast cancer and start our own peer navigation groups!