Breast cancer in African-American women. Review of the literature.
Decreased survival rates from breast cancer in the poor and in many African-American women are pressing public health problems. Health care providers are challenged to reduce breast cancer deaths in high-risk poor and African-American populations to achieve the National Cancer Institute's goal of reducing cancer deaths 50% by the year 2000. This article presents findings from a review of the literature concerning (a) the disproportionate distribution of cancer deaths in poor and African-American populations compared with non-poor white populations; (b) breast cancer detection initiatives and barriers to health services utilization; (c) primary prevention of breast cancer; and (d) broad strategies to empower poor and African-American women better to control their destiny through enhanced health practices and public policy initiatives.
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Psychosocial Oncology, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia 19104-6096.
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D016504:Breast Self-Examination; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008327:Mammography; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology