By Robert Preidt
HealthDay reporter
Monday, December 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) – Obesity is a major reason black American women die 40% more often than white patients with early-stage breast cancer, according to a new study.
Obesity is a known risk factor for several types of cancer, and decades of rising obesity rates in the US have contributed to the fact that breast cancer rates are higher in black women than in white women.
And while the death rate from breast cancer has decreased, the decrease has been less among black women.
This study included 548 patients treated for early-stage breast cancer and found that 62% of black and 33% of white patients were obese. Black patients also had obesity-related conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol more often than white women, according to the results.
The study was published December 7th in the journal Cancer.
“Early breast cancer is highly treatable and survival rates have steadily improved due to advances in treatment and early detection of mammograms. However, the high rates of obesity, total comorbidities, and obesity-related comorbidities are particularly noticeable in women with early breast cancer among black women – may contribute to differences in overall survival in these patients, “said study author Kirsten Nyrop, assistant director of research in the Geriatric Oncology Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The rate of many obesity-related cancers is higher in black women, as is the rate of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, she said.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly highlighted, if we are to eradicate health inequalities, there is an urgent need to address the systemic and socio-economic aspects of obesity, which disproportionately affect minority communities in the US,” Nyrop said in a press release in a magazine .
An accompanying editorial states that doctors should use a breast cancer diagnosis as an opportunity for far-reaching health interventions.
A number of lifestyle changes that can reduce obesity may also potentially extend cancer patients’ survival, the editorial said.
More information
The American Cancer Society has more about weight and breast cancer risk.
SOURCE: Cancer, press release, December 7, 2020
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