Disparities in Breast Cancer Stage at Diagnosis: Importance of Race, Poverty, and Age

Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among United States (U.S.) women and the second most common cause of cancer death among women after lung cancer. For many decades, the social and epidemiology literature on cancer indicated that African-American women experienced lower incidence rates of breast cancer, but higher mortality rates than white women. Nonetheless, recent evidence concerning disparities in breast cancer has demonstrated that the incidence rates of breast cancer in African-American women now equals white women.