Paper Example on Breast Cancer: Racial Disparities & Declining Incidence

Introduction

Over the years, the incidences of breast cancer among women have decreased. White women are the most affected by breast cancer but there are more deaths among African-American women. Understandably, breast cancer is the second leading type of cancer in the United States (Carol, et al, 2019). 42% of the African American women are likely to die from the diseases compared to the whites (Carol, et al, 2019). One of the reasons for racial disparities is that most African-Americans get diagnosed with cancer at later stages and this delays the treatment process. Other factors explaining this racial disparity include comorbidities, tumor characteristics, and high obesity rates.

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Inclusion and Exclusion of Sources

The sources used in this study directly focus on breast cancer mortality rates and racial disparities. First, the sources are objective to the topic and provide a detailed analysis of breast cancer cases. For example, all the sources focus on racial disparities and mortality among breast cancer victims. Based on the information they provide, they are accurate and provide reliable information required to complete the literature review (Sadler et al., 2010). Secondly, the sources selected are up to date information because they are not more than ten years old. Importantly, they all support the idea that there is a high racial disparity among breast cancer victims.

The Rationale of these Studies

The studies are essential because they help relevant stakeholders to understand the primary causes of racial disparities among breast cancer victims so that they can take appropriate actions. Secondly, the studies help to develop community-based programs, enhancing the participation of African American women in early screening and therapies.

Study Method

The type of study employed in this literature review is content analysis. The method is appropriate and effective since the study did not include any experiment but an analysis of the existing data and information. Primarily, it focuses on racial disparities and breast cancer mortality rates.

Key Arguments

1.7 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer internationally in 2012. 521,900 of the victims died from the condition. Breast cancer mortality rates are high in African Americans with a preferred rate of 34.4%, while Hispanic American mortality rate is 16.3% (Sadler et al., 2010). It shows that there is an underrepresentation of minority groups in the United States, and this calls for urgent measures to encourage their participation in breast cancer programs in their communities. Also, the programs should empower them to personal initiatives for early screening (Collignon, Lousberg, Schroeder & Jerusalem, 2016). A study by Sadler 2010 found out that the program, such as sisterhood did not work well since it did not empower them. They recommended the inclusions of testimonials from victims that have undergone clinical trials to empower them to take necessary measures to monitor their health conditions (Sadler et al., 2010). For example, more women will participate in community awareness programs and clinical trials at an early stage.

Additionally, breast cancer leads to cancer-related deaths. Most of the deaths occur among women aged 40-55 years and internationally it affects one every ten women (Smith et al., 2018). Although the rates among minority groups in the US are lower than the whites, they experience more deaths because of various factors. Common risk factors include access to quality healthcare, and their socio-economic status (Yedjou et al., 2017). For example, between 2002 and 2008, the rate of survival for African American women was 78%, while the survival for twhite women was 90%. The breast cancer mortality disparity ratio from 2000 to 2010 increased to 41.8% from 30.3 % (Yedjou et al., 2017). The number of women detected at an advanced stage among the whites was 5% with 8% among African American women (Yedjou et al., 2017). Based on this information, racial disparity is high among breast cancer victims in the United States, and this calls for urgent measures to empower them so that they take early screening and participate in clinical trials.

Strengths and weaknesses of the Studies

The studies have supported the argument that there is racial disparity among breast cancer victims. They have conducted primary experiments, as well as consolidating data from different reliable sources. However, they have not exploited data about racial disparities according to different states and they used relatively small samples compared to the entire US population.

How they Support the Research Topic

All the sources used in researching the topic focused on rates of breast cancer in the United States. They combine primary and secondary sources of data; hence, the data is reliable. Also, they identify primary variables, explaining racial disparities among breast cancer groups (Duma et al., 2018). For example, they explicitly explain factors causing the disparity and identified two major populations in the US that include the whites and black women.

Research Gap

The most critical research gap identified in the study is that the studies generalize black women. A further study is required for different breast cancer rates among Hispanic Americans, African American, and African immigrants. The proposed research question is;

What is the breast cancer racial disparity among African American groups in the US compared to the whites?

Variables to be investigated include access to quality healthcare, and impact of the socio-economic status of individuals on breast cancer mortality rates. The primary objectives of the proposed study include:

• To identify the effect of access to quality healthcare to breast cancer mortality rates among all black-American groups compared to the whites
• To establish how socioeconomic status influences breast cancer mortality rates among minority groups and the whites in the US
• To recommend strategies to reduce racial disparities when managing breast cancer

Conclusion

Breast cancer is a menace in society because it is the second leading disease, causing many deaths in the US and internationally. Mortality rates are higher in black Americans compared to the whites because of risk factors, such as access to quality healthcare and socio-economic status. Cancer management centers should develop programs to empower black women to participate in clinical trials and take the early screening. However, the research proposes a further study to differentiate mortality rates among minority groups, such as Hispanic Americans, black immigrants, and Hispanic Americans.

References

Carol, et al., (2019). Breast cancer statistics, 2019. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 69(6), 438-451.

Collignon, J., Lousberg, L., Schroeder, H., & Jerusalem, G. (2016). Triple-negative breast cancer: treatment challenges and solutions. Breast cancer (Dove Medical Press), 8, 93-107.

Duma, N., et al., (2018). Representation of minorities and women in oncology clinical trials: review of the past 14 years. Journal of Oncology Practice, 4(1), 1-11.

Sadler, G.R., Gonzalez, J., Mumman, M. et al. (2010). Adapting a program to inform African American and Hispanic American women about cancer clinical trials. Journal of Cancer Education, 25, 142-145.

Smith, A. et al., (2018). Sistas Taking a Stand for Breast Cancer Research (STAR) Study: A Community-Based Participatory Genetic Research Study to Enhance Participation and Breast Cancer Equity among African American Women in Memphis, TN. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(12), 1-12.

Yedjou, C., et al., (2017). Assessing the racial and ethnic disparities in breast cancer mortality in the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(5), 1-14.