By Tashi McQueen
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, advocates stressed the importance of regular testing and community education to ensure early detection and empower women to understand their options.
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer makes up 34 percent of all cancers diagnosed in Black women. Black women are 38 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than White women, even though they are 5 percent less likely to be diagnosed with it. In 2022, it was the leading cause of cancer death for Black women.
For those who have faced this daunting journey and survived, these statistics highlight the need for greater awareness in the Black community and for self-advocacy in the doctor’s office.
“As a Black woman, I’ve learned that sometimes the healthcare system doesn’t ask the deeper questions when it comes to us,” said Valarie Traynham, a breast cancer survivor. “I kept going back to convenient care with the same issues, and each time they treated the infections but never asked why they kept happening.”
Traynham highlighted that the reason behind the disparities Black women face in breast cancer outcomes are due to systemic barriers to care, delayed diagnoses and sometimes not being taken seriously when sharing their symptoms. Generational mistrust in the healthcare system stems from these challenges, further worsening the problem.
Inspired by doctors downplaying her condition, Traynham pushed for answers and eventually discovered that not only did she have myeloma, a cancer of the blood, but breast cancer too.
“When I heard you have breast cancer, it hit me hard,” said Traynham. “I was just coming out of active treatment for myeloma, so this diagnosis felt like a gut punch. I felt like I couldn’t catch a break.”
Although the myeloma was diagnosed at a more aggressive stage, she caught the breast cancer early, giving her more treatment options and a greater chance of survival.
According to a study by the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), which analyzed cancer registry data from 8,145 patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2019, the likelihood of a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis increases when a person gets fewer screenings.
Researchers found that, of the women studied, 9 percent of the women who had late-stage breast cancer received annual screenings. The number of late-stage diagnoses increased to 14 percent in women who only received biennial screenings, or screenings between 15 and 27 months. Of the women in the study who were only screened intermittently, 19 percent of them received late-stage cancer diagnoses.
“The trend persisted regardless of age, race, and menopausal status,” states authors of the study.
Traynham was lucky to catch her breast cancer before it became a late-stage diagnosis. Still, she says it was tough, with the side effects of chemotherapy for breast cancer being harsher than her treatment for myeloma.
Today, she passes along the valuable lessons she picked up in her fight.
“I learned that if something seems off, you shouldn’t wait or brush it off, get it checked,” said Traynham. “Awareness, vigilance and action can save lives.”