Reduction of Breast Cancer Risk among Women of African-American Origin - Research Paper Example

Reduction of Breast Cancer Risk among Women of African-American Origin Breast cancer is a kind of cancerous disease that affects the breast area, mostly in women, but can also occur in men. Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer among women, and from research, it is evident that the mortality from breast cancer is higher among women of African-American origin. Despite the fact that white women are at a higher risk of contacting breast cancer, the mortality rates remain higher in African-American women. White women are at a higher risk of contacting breast cancer because of the genetic traits of the disease. The fact that breast cancer mortality is reducing in the United States, yet the gap between mortality in African-American women and white women is increasing, also highlights this discrepancy. An analysis of the best methods of reducing breast cancer mortality among African-American women revealed two effective methods: strenuous exercise and the building of trust between the patients and medical staff using information. This paper aims to discuss the main ways of reducing breast cancer risk and mortality among women of African-American origin. Obesity greatly increases the risk of breast cancer among menopausal women, and from a literature review, it is evident that increased physical exercise greatly reduces this risk. Unlike other risk factors like age, family history and menopause time, obesity is a controllable factor. This means that women of African-American history, through constant physical activity, can avoid obesity. According to Berstein, Patel, Ursin, et al. (2005), there is a reduced risk of breast cancer among women when they participate in increased physical activity, a causal relationship that is attributable to the reduction of instances of obesity. The advocating for physical activity as a method of reducing breast cancer is due to many reasons, the first one being that physical activity increases ovarian hormones, which, in turn, delay menopause (Berstein, Patel, Ursin et al., 2005). Since breast cancer victims are mostly in the menopausal period, it means that delaying the onset of menopause would reduce the risk of breast cancer. During a woman’s reproductive years, increased exercise also serves to increase secondary amenorrhea, irregular menstrual circles and shorten the phases of the luteal period. All these factors serve to lower the levels of estradiol, which is a hormone in the blood that reduces the delay period for menopause. This indicates a causal relationship between increased physical activity and the reduction in breast cancer risk. Trentham-Dietz, Newcomb, Storer et al. (1997) state that the other justification for the use of high exercise levels as a means of reducing breast cancer risk is in the reduction of insulin in the blood and an increased sensitivity to insulin. High levels of insulin are associated with a low concentration of sex hormones, which, in turn, increases the concentration of estradiol in the blood. This means that an increased exercise rate would help in reducing the levels of insulin in the blood, which, in turn, increases the concentration of sex hormones and consequently reduces levels of estradiol. These causal links finally delay the onset of menopause and as a result, reduce the risk of breast cancer. Lastly, increased exercise reduces the chance of obesity among African-American women, which, as previously stated, reduces the chance of breast cancer during menopause. According to Ratnasinghe, Ramakrishna, Seddon, and Lehman (2010), maintenance of manageable body weight is also associated with the balance of body energy. Increased body weight lowers body balance due to an increase in adipose tissue, which increases the levels of insulin-like growth factors. This increases the risk of breast cancer among African-American women in their menopausal years since they are no longer viable for increased exercises. The factors explained above all indicate that vigorous exercise in pre-menopausal years helps to reduce the risk of breast cancer when a woman approaches menopause, which is the period in which the risk factors are intensified. Statistical research conducted on several African-American women on the amount of physical exercise enjoyed and the prevalence of breast cancer among the test subjects supported the factors mentioned above. The other factor that can help reduce breast cancer risk concerns the attitudes of African-American women to breast cancer screening. Despite the fact that breast cancer mortality continues to reduce, and that white women are more prevalent to breast cancer risk, it is evident that African-American women mortality from breast cancer is still high. African-American women display the highest mortality rates from breast cancer than any other ethnic group, a fact attributable to their informational needs. The gap between the mortality from breast cancer by white and African-American women also indicates that some factor is deficient. Research conducted by Conway-Phillips and Millon-Underwood (2009) indicates that one of the major causes of this gap is the trust factor, where African-American women have skewed attitudes towards screening centers. The conducted study indicated that the concerns of the African-American women included a mistrust of medical centers, the effects of the federal government, and racism effects. Therefore, the recommendation for the reduction in breast cancer risk among African-American women is the sensitization of both the population and medical specialists. Conway-Phillips and Millon-Underwood (2009) indicate that the nursing practice is most to blame for the widening gap in breast cancer mortality since they do not participate in informative drives for African-American women. A strategy of teaching African-American women to understand the risk of breast cancer and the reduction through early screening would greatly help in reducing the mortality from breast cancer. This would be effective if it came from the nursing population since they are the ones in frequent contact with the patients. Breast cancer screening techniques are safe and help in reducing the risk of mortality, and an informational drive would greatly help African-American women realize the benefits of testing. The nursing population can build an informative network with the African-American women by building teams that deal with providing information on breast cancer. Since the correct information about the benefits of training is important, it would help in the reduction of breast cancer risk among African-American women. Personal interviews conducted by Kaiser, Rauscher, Jacobs, Strenski et al. (2011) indicate that the mistrust by African-American women is the biggest cause of their lack of constant screening, which points out the importance of trust in the medical-patient interaction sector. Still on this point, interpersonal trust between the nursing staff and patients is important in reducing breast cancer risk among African-American women (Masi & Gehlet, 2009). Learning to trust the nursing staff would result in the efficient passage of information, which is achievable if the nurses try to gain identification with the patient. As previously mentioned, mistrust of medical establishments and the federal government, coupled with instances of racism, increase the aversion of African-American women to screening in hospitals. Racism affects the efforts of reducing breast cancer risk since the women are discriminated in hospitals and medical centers. Therefore, the best way to reduce this is by having the medical establishments go out of their way to promote the effectiveness of informational techniques. The reasons mentioned above deal with the presentation of information, where African-American women would greatly benefit from getting the correct information about screening and the reduction in breast cancer risk from screening. From the information presented above, it is evident that exercising is the best method for reducing breast cancer among women of African-American origin. The studies described above present clear causal relationships between the lack of exercise and the risk of breast cancer, and the information is a sure way of reducing breast cancer. The second method of reduction of breast cancer risk only increases the screening for women, and does not actually reduce the risk of contacting breast cancer. The second method just increases the possibility of early detection of breast cancer, while the use of exercise reduces the risk of contacting breast cancer in the first place. Therefore, the best option is for women of all racial origins to increase their exercising rates since it has a direct relationship with a reduction in breast cancer risk. References Berstein, L., Patel, A., Ursin, G., et al. (2005). Lifetime recreational exercise activity and breast cancer risk among black women and white women. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 97(22), 1672-1679. Conway-Phillips, R., & Millon-Underwood, S. (2009). Breast cancer screening behaviors of African American women: A comprehensive review, analysis, and critique of nursing research. ABNF Journal, 20(4), 97-101. Kaiser, K., Rauscher, G. H., Jacobs, E. A., Strenski, T. A., et al. (2011). The import of trust in regular providers to trust in cancer physicians among white, African American, and Hispanic breast cancer patients. JGIM: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 26(1), 51-57. Masi, C. M., & Gehlert, S. (2009). Perceptions of breast cancer treatment among African-American women and men: Implications for Interventions. JGIM: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 24(3), 408-414. Ratnasinghe, L., Ramakrishna, M., Seddon, M., & Lehman, T. (2010). Physical activity and reduced breast cancer risk: A multinational study. Nutrition and Cancer, 62(4), 425–435. Trentham-Dietz, A., Newcomb, P. A., Storer, B. E., et al. (1997). Body size and risk of breast cancer. Am J Epidemiol, 145(11), 1011-1019. Read More