Let's face it, cancer has long been considered one of the deadliest diseases. And among all types of cancers, endometrial cancer has been proven to be one of the most prevalent cancers in the United States, and statistics reveal that cases are increasing each year.
Now, a new concern is that conventional cancer screening methods always miss Black women, according to a new study from the University of Washington. The study showed cancer screening is four times less likely to be accurate for Black women than white women.
Every doctor's mission encompasses saving lives, preventing diseases and promoting health.
A gynecologic oncologist with the University of Washington's medicine school, Dr. Kemi Doll's goals are no different.
In an interview with KUOW news, she mentioned her commitment to developing a new algorithm that will undoubtedly come to the rescue of Black women who have fallen victim to endometrial cancer.
According to Dr. Doll, the average of diagnosis of endometrial cancer is a woman in her 60s.
Endometrial cancer is prevalent among women who have just gone through menopause, a time when a woman gradually stops having periods. The primary symptom of endometrial cancer is that after a woman has gone through menopause, she starts having vaginal bleeding again. That is called post-menopausal bleeding. Over 90 percent of women diagnosed with endometrial cancer experienced that kind of bleeding.
By using a transvaginal ultrasound scan, doctors are able to measure the thickness of the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. That always provides doctors with more details so that they can decide whether the source of the bleeding is the thickened issue, which could represent endometrial cancer. The measurement then helps doctors decide whether a women needs a biopsy to confirm if the tissue was cancerous or not.
The problem is, the ultrasound screening test is not accurate for Black women because of some different characteristics.
At the same time, studies found that Black women is 90 percent more likely than white women to die after falling victim to endometrial cancer, which is literally an astounding disparity. One of the reasons is why Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with more aggressive of endometrial cancers (since not all endometrial cancers are the same). These types really need to be caught early in order to increase the chance of survival.
In addition to the high mortality rate among Black women with endometrial cancer, there is an issue of inequity when it comes to cancer screening.
According to Dr. Doll, the main problem is that the test is not accurate for Black women by reason of fibroids that distort the measurement on ultrasound. Fibroids are common among Black women, so it certainly lowers the accuracy of the test for Black women.
What's more, Black women are more likely to have the kind of endometrial cancers that don't result in a thickened endometrium.
The doctor said data related to the accuracy of the test do not include black women, which stands to reason the difference in accuracy is often called an inequity.
Asked about ways to prevent women from dying after being diagnosed with endometrial cancer, Dr. Doll suggested Black women be aware of any unexpected bleeding, especially after going through menopause. If you're a Black woman and you start bleeding again after going through menopause, please don't hesitate to go to the doctor's.
Also, make sure you understand what post-menopausal bleeding means, and you should have clarity about whether it's there or not. Since post-menopausal bleeding is a symptom of endometrial cancer, you should definitely see the doctor if you're sure it's there. Early treatment is crucial to saving you from dying of endometrial cancer.
A Black woman herself, Dr. Doll learned when studying medicine facts like Black women are way more likely to fall victim to aggressive diseases than White women and that there's a higher mortality rate for endometrial cancers among black women.
Committed to eliminating the mortality disparity in endometrial cancer among Black women, she not only makes sure Black females in the U.S. understand what endometrial cancer is, but also wants to use innovative technology to eradicate that disparity.
As a matter of fact, her team is currently doing research to develop a new algorithm that may still incorporate transvaginal ultrasound, and aims to come to the rescue of Black women with cancer, but have yet to be detected. Dr. Doll says the team is moving forward with that research, in addition to supporting and improving cancer treatment for Black women.
Their ultimate goal - improve survival among Black women with endometrial cancer.
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