When we lose the right to be
different, we lose the privilege to be free.
— Charles Evans
Hughes
Certain groups of women may
be at increased risk for breast cancer, or
may have important experiences and needs
that should be taken into consideration during
screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship
of breast cancer. Women can experience significant
barriers to care for a variety of reasons.
Many minority groups in the United States
face challenges in getting quality healthcare.
While
all women are at risk for getting breast
cancer, there may be some unique issues
to consider for women of different ethnic,
religious or cultural groups. In this section,
we focus on the following groups:
- African
American Women
- Hispanic American/Latina
Women
- Native American Women
- Asian
American and Pacific Islander Women
- Women
of Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish
descent
We include resources
for information and support that are specific to women of
different multicultural groups. Where possible, we
include support groups of women with
similar backgrounds. There are also a number of
advocacy organizations for each group.
Please check other sections
in the Resource Directory for information
about breast cancer diagnosis, treatment,
support, and other issues. Many organizations
have resources for specific groups as well
as Spanish or other language translations.
NOTE: Most research about ethnicities
and cancer describes cancer rates and figures
for the following ethnic groups: White/Caucasian,
Black/African American, Hispanic, American
Indian/Native American (usually includes
Alaska Natives), and Asian/Pacific Islander.
We use the same categories in the following
sections. For individuals and healthcare
professionals who work with the groups listed
above, we have included some information
that may be helpful.
Unless otherwise noted,
material for these sections was drawn largely
from National Cancer Institute educational
publications (800.4.CANCER or www.cancer.gov)
and the National Women’s Health Information
Center (www.4woman.gov).
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Introduction
Diagnosis & Treatment
