00:00Breast cancer is killing black women,
00:02but is there anything we can do about it?
00:04If you don't understand why breast cancer's death toll
00:06on black women is cause for concern,
00:08allow me to over-explain it to you.
00:12According to reports, overall,
00:14black women are more likely to die of breast cancer
00:17than any other woman.
00:18One in eight women will be diagnosed
00:20with breast cancer in her lifetime.
00:22Ladies, the odds are so not in our favor.
00:25Here's the scariest thing about breast cancer death rates
00:27in black women.
00:28Even though white women are diagnosed with breast cancer
00:30at higher rates than black women,
00:32black women's mortality rates are higher.
00:35Black women are 40% more likely
00:37to die from breast cancer than white women.
00:39And the reasons are plenty.
00:40From genetics, to being overweight,
00:43to the biology of the cancer,
00:45to systemic racism's chokehold on the economy,
00:48black women face many factors
00:50when it comes to the mortality rates of breast cancer.
00:52Drugs to battle breast cancer
00:54are often not tested on black women.
00:56Representation matters everywhere.
00:58And there's a severe lack of black women
01:00in clinical trials.
01:01In the last three years,
01:03the Food and Drug Administration
01:04has approved four novel drugs for breast cancer.
01:07However, none of those clinical trials
01:09had more than 3% black participants.
01:11Well, ain't that something?
01:12Considering the immortal Henrietta Lacks's historic cells,
01:16changed medical science,
01:18and they continue to contribute to cancer research today.
01:21Respect her and respect black women's cells, okay?
01:25Another reason breast cancer is killing black women
01:27is because black women are being diagnosed
01:30with more aggressive hormone receptor diseases
01:33at more advanced stages at younger ages
01:36and experience a longer time to treatment.
01:38Now, this reason is compound,
01:39so let's unpack it a bit.
01:41First, hormone receptors are basically how cells give
01:44and receive signals from other cells in your body.
01:46Essentially, the spread of disease.
01:49With black women being diagnosed
01:50with more aggressive hormone receptor diseases
01:53at more advanced stages and at younger ages,
01:57many of them are dealing with breast cancer
01:58that doesn't respond to hormonal therapy medication.
02:02This is called triple negative breast cancer.
02:05And this type of cancer is more likely
02:07to be diagnosed in black women and Hispanic women.
02:10It's an aggressive cancer
02:11with the highest mortality rate
02:13that often comes back after treatment.
02:15Yeah, this is the type of cancer
02:17that black women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with.
02:21And sadly, no effective treatments have been developed
02:23for this seemingly racist cancer.
02:26I wonder why no one seems to be working on a treatment
02:28for a cancer that is specifically pinpointing
02:32black and brown women.
02:33If black women are being diagnosed
02:35with breast cancer earlier than white women,
02:37it may be time to make earlier screenings a thing.
02:40But there's a slight issue.
02:41Not all insurance companies cover earlier scans,
02:44and this perpetuates a lot of issues around access.
02:47Poverty plays right into the lack of medical insurance
02:50or insurance that just might not be that great,
02:53like Medicaid.
02:54No offense, Medicaid users.
02:55I was on Medicaid before.
02:57Poverty rates are twice as high for black people
03:00as they are for white people.
03:01And poverty and a lack of insurance
03:04leads to delayed diagnosis and treatment
03:06and less follow-up appointments.
03:08Not only because of lack of funds for co-pays,
03:11but also the lack of professional and compassionate care
03:14that black women face.
03:15Y'all don't be caring about black women
03:16at the doctor's office.
03:18Don't act like you do.
03:20Black women don't get the same prompt,
03:21high-quality treatment compared to white women.
03:24How can we battle any of this
03:26while also fighting for our lives?
03:28Black women's survival leans on early detection,
03:30which depends on insurances to change policies,
03:33allowing black women the financial grace
03:35and the ability to have a fighting chance.
03:37There also needs to be an establishment of trust
03:39between medical professionals and their patients.
03:42Black women need to know they are being heard
03:44and treated as if their lives depend on it,
03:47because they do.
03:48This will allow evidence and examples
03:50of where the healthcare system can be more targeted
03:53to black women.
03:53Black women do a lot to save everyone else,
03:56but what will be done to save us?
03:58Until next time, I'm Danielle Young
04:00and this is The Overexplainer.
04:07All right!
04:08Thanks for the Все We credit.
04:16Mraciak.
04:17Jason H20
04:17James
04:26and this is The Overexplain,
04:28it does push back pages and what
04:32you can think of about those activities Geme En συν
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