“If you compare Black women and white women, a Black woman is twice as likely to die from breast cancer before the age of fifty as a white woman,” said Dr. Eric Winer, director of the Yale Cancer Center.
He said that startling statistic could be caused by a number of different factors, but the largest, he says, is in the disparity in breast cancer treatment.
And one of those disparities is screenings beyond mammograms for women with dense breasts who are often women of color.
“There have been studies that suggest breast density or having dense breasts is more common in people of color, and it’s also been suggested that it may be more common in Asian individuals,” Winer said.
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What’s needed is clear information for women who have dense breasts, because mammograms don't always detect cancer in women who have dense breasts, and coverage for what comes next.
“And particularly if we’re talking about a woman who’s at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, that coverage for MRIs is something that I would very much like to see," Winer said.
Representative Rosa DeLauro worked to pass a law three years ago that requires the FDA to develop a policy regarding providing information to women across the country with dense breasts about what they need to know. She says three years later, they still haven’t done it.
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“I'm pushing that it get done at the end of this year, so that when women know whether or not they have dense breasts, that's the first step,” DeLauro said.
The next, she says, is to make sure that those extra screenings are covered for women with dense breasts, because not everyone can afford an MRI or an ultrasound. She’s introduced new legislation that would cover the exams.
“So for an MRI or an ultrasound, you could go get those tests and not have to pay anything,” DeLauro said.
“And particularly if we’re talking about a woman who’s at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, that coverage for MRIs is something that I would very much like to see,” Winer said.
As the new head of the Yale Cancer Center, he said diminishing the disparity in breast cancer treatment in Connecticut is a top priority over the next decade.
“So there’s just a tremendous amount that we need to do to fix this problem,” Winer said.
