This Friday kicks off this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, a moment to honor the American Latino community’s contributions and lengthy history. On today’s health front, Hispanic women are still facing significant disparities as they get screened less for breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women. When breast cancers are finally diagnosed, they tend to be larger and more advanced.
Hispanic women are also more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age and with more aggressive disease such as triple-negative breast cancer, which has fewer targeted treatments. They are less likely to be diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer only because of infrequent screenings and a lack of follow-up on abnormal screening results. Explanations for skipping conventional mammograms could include inadequate health insurance coverage, limited access to care, a lack of knowledge of the healthcare system, concerns regarding painful compression, or language barriers.
The many complex and interconnected factors that contribute to racial disparities in breast cancer development and outcomes include genetics, lifestyle, access to healthcare, social determinants of health, and limited research conducted among people of color. Since Hispanic women in the US have also been largely underrepresented in cancer research, it is especially important to implement inclusive programs that enable access to health services and include education programs for the community on the importance of screening and managing risk factors, as well as conducting more studies that analyze the biological behavior of breast cancer in the context of genetic diversity.
At Koning, our top priority is working toward providing access to consistent screening and care. Timely treatment belongs to all.
Read more about our solutions here.
Sources:
- The American Cancer Society
- -Serrano-Gomez, Silvia J et al. “Breast Cancer Health Disparities in Hispanics/Latinas.” Current breast cancer reports vol. 12,3 (2020)