MALVERN, PA — Unite for HER is expanding a national breast cancer support program with TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance, to provide free patient services aimed at reducing treatment-related distress, side effects and financial strain among Black women, who face significantly higher breast cancer mortality rates than white women.
The organizations said their Care for HER program, established in 2024, provides integrative therapies and around-the-clock nurse navigation to Black women undergoing breast cancer treatment. The expansion follows reported improvements in participants’ quality of life.
Results presented at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium showed that 85% of program participants reported reduced distress, 75% reported fewer unwanted side effects and 83% reported improvement in at least one measure of financial strain.
The figures reflect patient-reported outcomes rather than demonstrated improvements in cancer survival or treatment effectiveness.
The initiative addresses persistent racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes. According to American Cancer Society statistics cited by the organizations, Black women are 38% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women despite having a slightly lower overall incidence of the disease.
Among women younger than 35, Black women develop breast cancer at twice the rate of white women and die from the disease three times as often.
The organizations also cited a five-year relative survival rate of 81% for Black women compared with 91% for white women.
Differences in diagnosis contribute to the disparity. About 54% of breast cancers among Black women are diagnosed at a localized stage, compared with 64% among white women.
Black women are also nearly three times as likely to be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive subtype associated with higher recurrence risks and more limited treatment options.
Care for HER is designed to supplement medical treatment with services addressing the physical, emotional and practical challenges patients encounter during cancer care.
Sue Weldon, founder and chief executive officer of Unite for HER, said managing treatment side effects is important to helping patients remain on prescribed therapies.
“The best cancer treatment cannot do its job if patients struggle to tolerate it,” Weldon said. “Through evidence-based integrative therapies, we help women manage cancer-related fatigue, reduce side effects, and better adhere to treatment.”
The program combines Unite for HER’s supportive care services with TOUCH’s focus on education and advocacy for Black breast cancer patients.
Ricki Fairley, chief executive officer and co-founder of TOUCH, said the partnership provides additional support intended to help women manage treatment and maintain their quality of life.
The initiative receives support from pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Gilead. The organizations said funding received during October will provide enrolled patients with integrative therapies, related services and personal nurse navigation available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at no out-of-pocket cost.
The program’s expansion extends access to supportive services for a patient population facing disproportionate breast cancer mortality and treatment-related challenges.
Additional information about Care for HER is available at www.uniteforher.org/careforher.
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