Jewish ethnicity and Black race: contrasting influences on the prognosis of breast cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

For reasons that are incompletely understood, race and ethnicity are associated with differing mortality from breast cancer. This investigation was undertaken to evaluate racial and ethnic influences on survival of women with breast cancers and to identify influential factors.

METHODS

A population of 766 racially and ethnically defined women with newly diagnosed invasive breast cancers in a clinical practice were prospectively evaluated and observed on a continuing basis. Survivals were compared with multiple demographic and clinicopathologic variables.

RESULTS

Compared to White, non-Jewish patients, no significant difference was found in survival of Jewish patients. Stage of cancers at diagnosis and measures of tumor biology were also comparable. By contrast, the survival of Black patients was significantly worse than that of White patients. Advanced tumor stage at diagnosis, unfavorable tumor biology and poor ancillary health all appeared to contribute to the poor survival of Black women.

CONCLUSION

No adverse influence of Jewish ethnicity was found on the prognosis of breast cancer. The poor prognosis of Black women compared to White women appeared to be the result of multiple untoward influences.