Why Are Black Women Less Likely To Stick With A Breast Cancer Follow-Up Treatment?

Black Women and Breast Cancer

Niasha Fray used to counsel women about sticking with their cancer treatment.  Then she was diagnosed with breast cancer and  started to experience first-hand what her counselling clients went through. 

Black women are less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, but are 40% more likely to die from it.  The disparity can be even higher for other cancers.

According to this article, part of the reason for this is that Black women are less likely to stick with follow-up treatment. 

If African American women -  and men - are less likely to attend follow-up appointments or stick with the treatment, there could be many reasons for this.  They could be finding it harder to pay for the treatment.  Finances are often a factor.  They may find it difficult to have to take time off from work; transport may be a problem.

Black patients tend to do better with Black doctors.  There may be other psychological, emotional or social factors involved. Read this article to find out more about this topic. 

To find out about my cancer journey, go here for my Cancer Journals. 

Please share your responses below and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.

Cancer Journal 11: Still Angry after All These Years

Angry Black Woman

Listen below to hear my latest reflections on how anger and my health issues are connected. There is a direct connection between anger and cancer.  

I could have called this series "The Angry Black Woman's Cancer Journals". 








Click here for more Cancer Journals with Zhana. 

Click here for Success Strategies for Black People. 

Audre Lorde:  Your Silence Will Not Protect You 

Click here for Why We Need to Heal.  

Sky-High Rates of Cancer in Martinique.

 

The Caribbean is starting to lead the world in terms of the number of people contracting cancer.  Sky-high rates of cancer in Martinique are being caused by the chemicals that are used there.   

Martiniquans face high rates of prostate cancer and breast cancer, as well as other forms of cancer, diabetes, Parkinsons and other illnesses. 

Regulations are in place regarding the production of foodstuffs in France, which means that foods from Martinique may be prohibited from entering France.  However, the same regulations are not applied within Martinique - there are no regulations prohibiting farming on contaminated land. 

So the pesticide Chlordecone has been found in foodstuffs, including cows' milk, in Martinique. Chlorodene is banned in Europe, but not in Martinique and Guadeloupe. 

The No to Chlordecone Association and other environmental organisations are campaigning for reparation for the prejudice they face. They are also campaigning for better traceability. Nowadays, when you buy a product in a market, you have no idea where it originated [a problem which has been highlighted by the horse meat scandal].

The farmers are not compensated if they reduce or cease production. 

Watch the video above for more information. 

This video was posted by London Black History Walks. 

 

Black Women and Breast Cancer

I recently attended an event about Black women and breast cancer. Here's what I learned:

Black women have a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer than white women.

However, more Black women tend to die of breast cancer because they tend to develop a more aggressive form of the disease, which appears at an earlier age.

Click here to read about triple negative breast cancer.

This can lead to women’s concerns being dismissed by doctors who think they are “too young” to have to worry about breast cancer.

There is not enough information available about how this disease affects Black women. Doctors and healthcare professionals, including cancer charities, tend to be unaware of the issues Black women face.

Breast cancer can be caused by common household chemicals, including some Black hair care products, those which contain paraffin, parabens, mineral oil and N\pS./

Marina Raime of Betterdays Cancer Care

Maria Raime gave a very moving presentation based on her own personal experience.

When she first discovered a lump, Marina went to the GP twice and was turned away.

Young women often struggle to get a correct diagnosis.

When she was diagnosed, Marina needed information about breast-feeding and infertility.

She was treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital, which is classed as a Centre of Excellence in treating breast cancer. However, the second time she had the disease, she presented with a rash and was told it had been caused by laundry detergent, even though she was a cancer survivor.

After her double mastectomy, she was offered a white prosthesis.

She found that the literature on breast cancer was for older women and contained images of white women.

She did not receive any co-ordinated care as a pregnant woman with breast cancer.

The effects of the chemotherapy and radiotherapy she received have been long-term. No research has been done about the effects of these therapies on Black women.

After her charity, Better Days Cancer Care, set up their website, they received phonecalls from people asking “Why do you only have images of Black women on the site?” and “Why are there no images of white women?”.

The site was hacked by a hater, and all the research data was removed from the site.

Marina emphasised the importance of claiming ownership of the Black breast – our breasts are ours.

Betterdays are now working with Kings Healthcare Trust in a project led by Harold Freeman, an esteemed breast cancer expert from Harlem.

This event was held by London Black History Walks. They will repeat this event in July 2010.

On another note, many people have been cured of cancer and other serious diseases using Spiritual Response Therapy (SRT). For more info, see The Higher Self.

Books about Using Food to Prevent and Treat Cancer

Foods to Fight Cancer
The Cancer Survivor's Guide: Foods that Help You Fight Back
Nature’s Cancer-Fighting Foods

Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer
What To Eat if You Have Cancer: Healing Foods that Boost Your Immune System

Foods that Fight Cancer: Preventing Cancer through Diet