Breast cancer has been in the news a lot in the last couple of weeks. First, there was the New York Times article on how the shift to digital mammograms is resulting in a greater number of follow-ups. However, the upshot was that this new technology is worth all the extra trouble. After reading it I wondered, do black women know that they should be getting digital mammograms? If not, who is going to tell them? A lot of insurance companies operate in the don’t ask, don’t tell mode so sisters may not know that they should be quizzing their doctor or facility about what type of mammograms they offer before they make an appointment.

Next, came the study conducted by the National Cancer Institute that revealed that even one or two drinks a day up the cancer risk for post-menopausal women by 32% and by over 50% if three or more drinks were consumed. Hmmm, again I asked myself how does this effect us?

Finally, there was the study from the University of Chicago Medical Center which reported that rates of invasive breast cancer have been decreasing among white, Hispanic, and Asian women but remain static for us. The report looked at women ages 50 to 69 and concluded that the decrease was likely attributed to less use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) across the board. Even if only 10% of black women used HRT why didn’t our numbers go down? The findings even stumped the researchers—who could only point to the less than successful mammogram programs in our communities. But that is only a possible explanation.

The fact is that the medical community hasn’t yet stumbled upon the truth and until then, they will continue to speculate about the reasons. (The same way they do about our incidence of fibroids.) And we will continue to have higher mortality rates. But we do have some power within our hands:
1. We can be diligent about self-examinations and yearly mammograms.
2. We can make sure that we go to a facility that offers digital mammograms.
3. We can participate in more studies. The Sister Study is still recruiting African American women. It is worth our while to check these things out. Yes, even if the Tuskegee experiments are ever present reminder of why we should be cautious.