Cultural, economic conditions lead to Hispanic women self-diagnosing breast cancer
I recently stumbled upon a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities that presented new data to show that two-thirds of Hispanic Women with breast cancer discover it themselves.
The study looked at both Mexican women and Hispanic women living in the U.S. It determined that women in Mexico were more likely to be diagnosed at an older age, and that women born in Mexico have an increased risk of being diagnosed if they have a family history, unlike those born in the U.S.
Breast Cancer is one of the most common and deadliest diseases in the world, accounting for 502,000 deaths worldwide, 7% of cancer deaths and almost 1% of all deaths, according to a 2006 report by the World Health Organization.
Breast cancer is usually discovered either through self examination or through medical mammograms given by a doctor.
Having personally known several women who have died of breast cancer, I was curious as to why Hispanic women have such a greater likelihood to discover the cancer late in the diseases’ progression, and most often by themselves.
Study author Rachel Zenuk, a University of Arizona graduate student, said in news reports that women wait so long to seek treatment because they lack insurance or ways to afford medical care.
Research also shows that breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanics.
Now, the question is: Why is this the case?
In Mexico, the availability of health insurance and economic circumstances of many women may deter them from seeking medical treatment. This often leads to them being diagnosed in the more advanced stages of the disease and thus have a lower success rate. Also there instances of low availability of mammogram machines in rural and poorer parts of Mexico.
In reading this research I noticed that my previous blog entries about the status of women on the border play into this issue of Hispanic women’s health.
For Hispanic women living in America, language and cultural barriers are detrimental to them seeking medical help. Organizations like the Latina Breast Cancer Agency in San Francisco are trying to help monolingual immigrant Hispanic women understand things like scheduling an appointments and finding insurance. Also, many Mexican-American women work grueling work weeks and have no time to seek medical help outside of their work and family commitments.
Other factors that may cause Hispanic women to be in greater danger of breast cancer include cultural beliefs about modesty and sexual behavior, family-centered values. These often disuade women from participating in the utilization of screening services.
