Black women have traditionally had lower breast cancer incidence rates than White women in the United States. In recent years, rates among White women have dropped while rates among Black women have not and currently rates are roughly the same.
Because Black women's breast cancer incidence rates have traditionally been relatively low, some Black women have a perception that they do not need to get mammograms. Breast cancer screening rates are lower among Black women and they are more often diagnosed with advanced stage disease. Consequently, Black women have higher breast cancer mortality rates than White women.
Many state and local cancer control programs are currently focused on raising awareness among Black women of the importance of getting mammograms.
Incidence rates are from the cancer registries of the National Cancer Institute's SEER that have been reporting cancer incidence since 1973. These registries cover about 25% of the population. Mortality rates are from the National Center for Health Statistics and cover the whole U.S.
Data source: The National Cancer Institute SEER Program ( https://seer.cancer.gov/canques/ ).