Professional Peefer

thatpettyblackgirl:

And I would just like to remind all women to regularly conduct inspections on their breasts to ensure there are no malign growths or unusual changes to the breasts.

How to examine your breasts:

A little PSA for the men, too: an estimated 1 in 1,000 – more or less – men will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is not something which exclusively strikes females, so please, keep an eye open for any sudden changes in the chest region.

I would also like to point out that most growths on the breasts turn out to be benign – or in simplified english: harmless – and are of no real concern. However it is always better to be on the safe side.

As of 2014, Black women are 43% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. That’s a significant increase compared to 1990, when Black women were 17% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.

What are the main reasons for such a big difference in the rate of Black women who die from breast cancer compared with women of other races?

We know that the reasons are twofold: There are biological differences and differences in access to care.

From a biological standpoint, Black women tend to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age. The median breast cancer diagnosis age for all races is roughly 61, meaning 50% of people who are diagnosed are older and 50% are younger. But for Black women, the median age is 58.

This means Black women are more likely to develop breast cancer at a younger age—such as before the recommended age to start getting mammograms, which is debated by experts but all agree could start at age 40 if the woman prefers.

And Black women tend to have higher rates of a type of breast cancer known as triple negative, which is usually more aggressive and has higher fatality rates.

Triple negative breast cancer is a challenge because there is no targeted therapy to treat it—currently chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation are used.

Targeted therapies go after the specific molecules that cause the cancer—while more general treatments like chemotherapy go after all of the cells in the area where the cancer is.

In comparison, other common types of breast cancer are hormone positive—and therefore easier to treat with more targeted, less aggressive therapies.

What can women do if they have a harder time getting access to health care?

Try to get your mammograms done at an
accredited mammography screening center. The American College of
Radiology has an accreditation program, and you can search for the nearest accredited mammography center on their website.

The incidence of different cancers between white and black women is not
social perhaps but all the rest is apparently social and political

this is so important! please understand how much it can make a difference