title: Triple-negative breast cancer in African-American women: disparities versus biology.
abstract: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype that disproportionately affects BRCA1 mutation carriers and young women of African origin. There is evidence that African-American women with TNBC have worse clinical outcomes than women of European descent. However, it is unclear whether survival differences persist after adjusting for disparities in access to health-care treatment, co-morbid disease and income. It remains controversial whether TNBC in African-American women is a molecularly distinct disease or whether African-American women have a higher incidence of aggressive biology driven by disparities: there is evidence in support of both. Understanding the relative contributions of biology and disparities is essential for improving the poor survival rate of African-American women with TNBC.
authors: 1] Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. [2].
authors: Eric C
authors: EC
authors: Dietze
authors: 1] Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. [2].
authors: Christopher
authors: C
authors: Sistrunk
authors: 1] University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee 90095, USA. [2].
authors: Gustavo
authors: G
authors: Miranda-Carboni
authors: 1] Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University and Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA. [2].
authors: Ruth
authors: R
authors: O'Regan
authors: 1] Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. [2].
authors: Victoria L
authors: VL
authors: Seewaldt
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D064726:Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*