ERIC Number: EJ713752
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-May-19
Pages: 1
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0742-0277
EISSN: N/A
Study: Blacks Are Less Likely to Seek Genetic Counseling to Assess Cancer Risk
Black Issues in Higher Education, v22 n7 p26 May 2005
Black women with a family history of breast cancer are much less likely than Whites to get genetic counseling, in part because of the mistaken notion that the genetic form of the illness is a White woman's disease, researchers say. While breast cancer generally is more common among White women, some data suggest both races have similar rates of the genetic flaws, known as BRCA mutations, which greatly increase the risk of developing the disease. Also, breast-cancer mortality rates are higher in Black women. In a study published in April's Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers questioned 408 women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer. Only 16 of the 71 Blacks studied--roughly 23 percent--got genetic counseling, compared with 184 of the 310 White women, or 60 percent.
Descriptors: African Americans, Cancer, Whites, Racial Differences, Genetics, Females, Heredity, Counseling, Risk, Incidence, Health Behavior, Screening Tests
Cox Matthews and Associates, Inc., 10520 Warwick Avenue, Suite B-8, Fairfax, VA 22030-3136. Web site: http://www.blackissues.com.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A