Breast Cancer In African American Women

The diagnosis of breast cancer is one of the most dreaded words that a woman could hear out of a doctor’s mouth. It affects on in eight women in the United States (McCartney, Davidson, & Alic, 2015). This is a prevalent problem, particularly in African American women. They are much more likely by 40% to die of the illness than their Caucasian counterparts (McCartney et al., 2015). However, a diagnosis does not necessarily equate to a death sentence. This paper will analyze the prevalence of breast cancer in African American adult women, along with its significance, treatment, and support programs. Compared to Caucasian women, African American women face many disadvantages. From a health care standpoint, only one in four are insured (Guerra, …show more content…
For primary prevention, before any diagnosis of disease, some ways include staying physically active, avoiding hormone replacement surgery, staying in a healthy weight range, and limiting the intake of alcohol (“Breast Cancer Facts”, 2011). For women that may have a higher risk of breast cancer due to family history, there are also more aggressive types of primary prevention. A prophylactic mastectomy is the removal of one or both breasts in order to prevent or reduce the risk of acquiring the illness (“Preventative (Prophylactic) Mastectomy…”, 2016). For secondary prevention, after the development of disease but before noticeable symptoms, a few methods include regular exams such as mammograms and screening tests to catch the disease in the early stages (“Breast Cancer: Prevention…”, 2017). For tertiary prevention, reducing the effects of the long-term symptoms of the disease, a couple interventions include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy (“Tertiary Prevention…”, 2012). There are also a few support programs for breast cancer patients specifically geared toward African American women. The Sisters Network was founded by Karen Jackson in 1994 (Newman & Jackson, 2009). The program advocates for African American women going through breast cancer. Some ways they do this are by providing hairpieces and mastectomy prostheses to aid in the treatment (Newman & Jackson, 2009). They work with all stages of breast cancer. The Sisters Network also advocates to spread awareness regarding early detection and for the increase of the funding of research of breast cancer in African Americans (Newman & Jackson, 2009). This program is beneficial because it gives support to African American women in both individual and government levels. On the other hand, one improvement to the program could be increasing the awareness for the program itself in order to reach a broader demographic and be able to