Breast cancer screening is occurring far too late for most African American women, according to a new study in the Journal of American College of Surgeons. In fact, the study shows, one in 10 women will already have advanced breast cancer when it is first detected if current screening recommendations are maintained. “We believe that African American women may consider earlier breast cancer screening, possibly starting around 33-35 years of age,” Dr. Leonidas G. Koniaris, of the University of Miami, told Reuters Health. “It is at this age that the incidence of breast cancer in African American patients equals that for Caucasian women at 40 years of age, the suggested age to start screening.” Koniaris and his colleagues identified 63,472 breast cancer patients between 1998 and 2002 on analysis of a Florida cancer registry and inpatient hospital data. Of these, 90.5 percent were White and 7.6 percent were African American, Reuters reports. Black women had cancer at a younger age and with more advanced disease on first diagnosis. They also found that more than 10 percent presented with breast cancer before the age of 40, and 22.4 percent before age 45 years. African-American patients were also less likely to receive surgery. “Based upon our study, African-American women have a 1.72-fold increased risk of death from breast cancer,” Koniaris said. “Approximately two-thirds of this excess risk is attributable to late stage presentation.”

TAGS: African-American women, breast cancer, diagnosis

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