Why the New Breast Cancer Guidelines Are Racist

Some might think the word racist is overused and too harsh for the new breast cancer guidelines, issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The fact is, though, the new rules that call for raising the recommended age for women to begin getting mammograms from 40 to 50 ignore the thousands of Black women who die from the disease each year. Black women, in fact, are typically diagnosed with cancer at a younger age than white women, and at a more advanced stage of the disease. The appropriate protocol for women of color would be to receive mammograms earlier not later. 

When you entirely dismiss a segment of the population, and that population happens to be a racial minority — one that is at a greater risk of dying from breast cancer than any other population — what do you call it? It might not be overt racism, but these new guidelines are the very definition of institutionalized racial discrimination.

Here are some facts to consider, courtesy of Sisters Network, the Black Women's Health Imperative and the American Cancer Society:

• An estimated 19,540 Black women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and more than 6,000 will die.
• Black women are 53 percent more likely than white women to be diagnosed at a later stage in the disease, and about 26 percent are less likely to receive radiation after breast-conserving surgery.
• Black women are more than twice as likely to receive no surgery at all and 39 percent more likely to die from breast cancer.

And the worst of it is the government appears to be making the change in order to appease or shore up the bottom line of the insurance industry.

The new guidelines

As we know, Black women are often diagnosed at an earlier age, but in a more advanced stage of breast cancer. Just as the federal agency announced it would make the change, many health education advocates for racial minorities were beginning to campaign to lower the age from 40 to 35.

Health educators have said one of their biggest obstacles in educating Black women about breast cancer is that much of the existing prevention information is not inclusive enough of women of color — something that isn't likely to change with the new guidelines.

The move will be save a lot of money for the insurance industry, but those savings come at a huge cost for women in general, and especially women of color. These new recommendations will undoubtedly affect insurance coverage, and women under 50 will likely have to pay out of pocket for breast cancer exams, which will, of course, play a part in determining how many have them.