Washington, DC—The problem is clear:
white women diagnosed as having breast cancer tend to outlive black women
with the disease. The dynamics driving this disparity, however, are much cloudier.
According to a recent report, breast cancer mortality rates decreased
2.5% a year for white women during the 1990s. In contrast, mortality rates
decreased only 1% a year for black women (J Natl Cancer
Inst. 2003;95:1276-1299).