Landmark research of cancer in Black women launches

— Despite major improvements in cancer prevention and treatment over the past few decades, a stark reality remains: Black women have the lowest survival rate of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S. for most cancers.

The disparity is particularly stark for breast cancer which kills Black women at a 40%, higher rate than white women. Black women are also about 60% more likely than white women to die of cervical cancer and more than twice as likely to die of stomach cancer.

To better understand these racial differences and ultimately remove barriers and improve outcomes for Black women, The American Cancer Society is launching a landmark study called VOICES of Black Women.

The VOICES of Black Women study hopes to recruit at least 100,000 Black women from 20 states including Georgia between the ages of 25 and 55 — and follow them for 30 years. The large-scale study is concentrating on these areas because that is where 90% of the U.S. Black women between these ages live.

“My immediate hope is that in joining this study, Black women feel that there are people out there who see them and are fighting for them and they want better outcomes for them and their family and their future daughters, grandaughters etc.,” said Dr. Lauren McCullough, an Atlanta resident and one of the lead researchers of the ACS study.

The study will look at medical history and information about the women’s daily lives so researchers can better understand how many factors — including diet, income, physical activity, stress levels and experiences of racism and discrimination — may affect the risk of developing or dying of cancer.

The study will look at where people live and how poor air quality and heavy metals in the soil can impact cancer progression.

Also importantly, McCullough said access to health care doesn’t necessarily mean a Black woman will get the quality health care they need.

“I engage with breast cancer survivors on a consistent basis and some of the stories I hear blow people’s minds,” said McCullough.

She said a young women in her late 20s with a lump went to her doctor who dismissed it as nothing to worry about. She kept pushing for more tests until finally, after bleeding from her nipple, she was taken seriously, and diagnosed with stage 3 cancer.

“From a scientific end, we want to have the scientific evidence that systemic racism is real and there are places where we need interventions. We need environmental interventions. We need overhauls. We need social interventions,” said McCullough. “And from a clinical perspective to say, well this treatment is not working. We need to be able to say why certain treatments don’t work. What are the things we need to be looking for? What are the alternatives for these women?”

Enrolled participants will fill out two surveys a year delivered via a secure online portal. No medication, clinical testing, treatment, or lifestyle changes are part of the study, according to ACS. The women enrolling in the study must be cancer-free.

Black women have long been underrepresented in cancer research. Black patients — men and women — a ccount for only 5% of clinical trial participants in the U.S.