New research suggests African American women are more likely to be diagnosed with higher risk breast cancers.
Researchers used a method of genomic profiling that looked at the expression of genes linked to recurrence risk in specific populations, a MedStar Washington Hospital Center news release reported.
"In the United States, BC is less frequent in African-American females (AAF); however mortality is higher, particularly among younger women. Disparities in health care, and a higher proportion of unfavorable subtypes of breast cancer in AAF may account for this difference in outcome. Specifically, triple-negative breast cancer seems to be more frequent in AAF than on non-African American, particularly in younger women," the researchers wrote in their study overview.
The team looked at the biology of breast cancer in 100 African American women. Out of the 100 women examined, 66 were found to have a high risk of tumor recurrence.
"It's important that research continues to address these issues comprehensively, from the biology of the disease to the development of optimal treatment and access to healthcare," Raquel Nunes, MD, a medical oncologist at the Washington Cancer Institute, said in the news release. "This work is particularly meaningful for us because it complements our interest in health disparities and highlights the enthusiastic participation of African-Americans in breast cancer research."
Genomic tests such as the one used in this study look at the genes within a breast cancer cell to see how strongly they are expressed. The study results back up past research on the biologic characteristics of breast cancer in African American women, but are the first to use this companion BluePrint test in this population.
"Cancer specialists will continue to follow the patients in the research study over the next five years to evaluate their survival with treatment, according to their gene profile," the news release reported.
