ANNAPOLIS, MD & PHILADELPHIA, PA — Two national breast cancer nonprofits unveiled new research showing significant gains in health outcomes and quality of life for Black women with breast cancer, highlighting how culturally tailored care models can help close long-standing disparity gaps.
Unite for HER and TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance, presented the findings at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, one of the world’s leading oncology research conferences. The research evaluated the Care for HER Program, a nationwide initiative that provides Black breast cancer patients with free integrative care services and round-the-clock patient navigation led by Black nurses and social workers who are also breast cancer survivors.
The program, presented with support from AstraZeneca, Gilead, and Daiichi Sankyo, is designed to address barriers that disproportionately affect Black patients, including unmanaged side effects, financial strain, limited access to supportive care, and gaps in care coordination.
Survey data collected in spring 2025 from 57 Black women diagnosed with breast cancer showed high utilization and strong reported benefits. Ninety-three percent of respondents said they used Care for HER resources. Seventy-five percent reported fewer unwanted side effects, while 83 percent said the program eased at least one source of financial stress.
The most striking gains were seen in emotional well-being. Eighty-five percent of participants reported reduced distress after enrolling in the program. High distress rates dropped from 39 percent to zero, while the share of participants reporting no distress increased from 5 percent to 21 percent.
Participants also reported measurable improvements in health knowledge and self-advocacy. Ninety-five percent said they were motivated to make healthier food choices, 93 percent understood the benefits of physical activity, and 89 percent said they better understood the resources available to them as patients. Nearly nine in ten said they felt equipped to follow their treatment plan, while 84 percent reported greater confidence advocating for themselves in medical settings.
Overall satisfaction was high, with 98 percent of participants saying they were satisfied or very satisfied with the integrative therapies and navigation services provided.
Sue Weldon, chief executive officer of Unite for HER, said the results demonstrate the impact of combining integrative care with culturally responsive navigation. She said the partnership with TOUCHBBCA shows what is possible when organizations align around patient-centered solutions and when industry partners support data-driven approaches to equity in care.
TOUCHBBCA Chief Executive Officer Ricki Fairley said the program addresses a critical unmet need while also generating much-needed data on Black breast cancer patients, a population historically underrepresented in clinical research. She said broader inclusion is essential to advancing science and reducing outcome gaps.
Racial disparities in breast cancer remain well documented, affecting access to care, treatment experiences, quality of life, and survival rates. The findings add to growing evidence that integrated supportive care and patient navigation can play a meaningful role in improving outcomes, particularly for patients who lack access to such services through traditional healthcare systems.
Organizers said the Care for HER model offers a scalable framework for addressing inequities in oncology care by pairing medical treatment with practical, emotional, and culturally informed support throughout treatment and survivorship.
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