ASO Author Reflections: Mitigating Survival Disparities in African American Women with Breast Cancer within the US Military Healthcare System—The Impact of Equivalent Care

Excerpt

Breast cancer survival is significantly lower for African American women (AAW) compared with European American women (EAW). A number of diverse factors, including more aggressive tumor biology and lower rates of health insurance coverage in AAW, may contribute to this survival disparity.1 The quality of breast healthcare has been shown to differ between AAW and EAW in the general population, ranging from follow-up after abnormal screening mammography to misuse, underuse, or delays of treatment.2 Studies on women undergoing surgical treatment in civilian hospitals have demonstrated that AAW were more likely to have longer surgical intervals and decreased use of breast reconstruction and sentinel lymph node biopsy, which may affect quality of life, morbidity, and mortality. As differences in insurance status and access to healthcare may influence treatment and survival, disparities research performed within the Department of Defense (DoD) healthcare system provides the opportunity to determine whether cancer treatment and outcomes differ within an equal-access healthcare setting. …