Impacting cultural attitudes in African-American women to decrease breast cancer mortality.
BACKGROUND
Over the past decade breast cancer mortality has decreased 1% or 2% per year in white women, but not in African-American women. The resulting "mortality gap" is a serious national problem, and it must be a high priority to understand the reasons for it and develop solutions.


METHODS
The literature is reviewed to elucidate reasons for the mortality gap and the current status of possible solutions to the problem. In addition, new results of large population-based surveys in North Carolina are presented that may shed light on the problem.


RESULTS
The most important reason for the mortality gap is that African-American women tend to be diagnosed with more advanced stage breast cancer than white women. This is due both to lower utilization of screening mammography and to delayed presentation for women with palpable lumps. This is related both to socioeconomic factors that influence access to medical care and to cultural factors that tend to discourage women from seeking care early for breast problems.


CONCLUSIONS
Understanding the cultural beliefs that influence patient behavior will greatly aid physicians in caring for their African-American patients, and ultimately may help reduce the racial gap in breast cancer mortality.
Lannin
Donald R
DR
Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, P.O. Box 208062, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. Donald.lannin@yale.edu
Mathews
Holly F
HF
Mitchell
Jim
J
Swanson
Melvin S
MS
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011203:Poverty; D012923:Social Class