WILMINGTON, DE — In a significant move towards reducing racial disparities in breast cancer, the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute at ChristianaCare is calling on Delaware’s community-based organizations. The center aims to foster partnerships that will support research strategies to address the disproportionately high mortality rates from breast cancer among Black women.
Breast cancer stands as the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths for women. While Black and white women are diagnosed with breast cancer at similar rates, Black women face a 40% higher death rate from the disease. They are also more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age and advanced stage, underlining the crucial need for improved screening and early detection.
Scott Siegel, Ph.D., MHCDS, Director of Cancer Control & Population Sciences at ChristianaCare, explained the initiative’s goals. “This Breast Cancer Research project aims to eliminate racial disparities in breast cancer in Delaware,” he said. “We hope to establish long-term relationships with community-based or non-profit organizations that can work with racial and ethnic minorities and other underrepresented groups through education, advocacy, and awareness campaigns.”
The project has received a $309,285 grant from the National Institutes of Health for the detection of epigenetic risk biomarkers for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). This aggressive form of breast cancer tends to affect women at a younger age and is twice as prevalent among Black women. Identifying risk biomarkers could enable earlier screening and prevention programs, helping to bridge the racial gap in breast cancer outcomes.
According to the National Cancer Institute, Delaware has the highest incidence of late-stage breast cancer among women under 50 nationwide. The state also has the highest rates of TNBC among Black women and the largest racial disparity in TNBC incidences.
Jennifer Sims-Mourtada, Ph.D., lead scientist at ChristianaCare’s Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research, spoke about the role of community partners. “Our community partners will work with us to develop and design research strategies to reduce these racial disparities,” she said. “They will attend the ChristianaCare Breast Community Research Advisory Board meetings and review recruitment materials and advertisements to ensure they are culturally appropriate. They will also review new research proposals to ensure the community perspective is well represented.”
Siegel and other researchers at ChristianaCare have issued a call to action for community members, health care providers, and other stakeholders in Delaware to collaborate in addressing breast cancer disparities. They cited a similar model adopted a decade ago that eliminated the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer between Black and white Delawareans.
Successful applicants for the Breast Cancer Research project may receive a one-time award up to $15,000. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2023. The contracted work will be for the January-April 2023 period.
For more information about the project or to submit an application, prospective participants can contact ctcr-research@christianacare.org.
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