Chronic and Health Equity Program

Breast Cancer Disparities Impact Black Women

Black women face a higher risk of dying from breast cancer than women of other racial and ethnic groups, highlighting the urgent need for awareness, early detection, and equitable access to quality care.




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You can reduce your risk of breast cancer, and help ensure a healthier future for yourself. Staying active, keeping a healthy weight, and eating right all play a role.


This year alone, more than 2,000 Mississippi women could be diagnosed with breast cancer.


Early detection of breast cancer saves lives — but Mississippi has one of the lowest breast cancer screening rates in the nation for older women.

NBCC National Breast Cancer Coalition logo
This Month: Celebrating More than 30 Years of NBCC Advocacy


In 1991, a group of women decided breast cancer needed a powerful advocacy arm with a single mission: to eradicate the disease. Since then, NBCC has been at the forefront of the breast cancer movement. This Women’s History Month, explore NBCC’s rich history and celebrate the advocates who have been working to end breast cancer since the beginning.


The Latest Breast Cancer Facts and Figures

Did you know? This year, an estimated 42,670 women and 530 men in the US will die of breast cancer. The latest breast cancer facts and figures demonstrate the ongoing, urgent need to end this disease—learn them, download them (PDF), and spread the word. 

  • Women at Risk

    Any woman can get breast cancer, at any age. But some groups are more likely to be affected than others.


    • African-American women are more likely than all other women to die from breast cancer. Their tumors often are found at a later, more advanced stage when treatment is less effective.
    • Older women are at higher risk, especially those over 50.
    • Being overweight increases the risk of breast cancer after menopause.
    • A family history of breast cancer can mean that your risk is higher — for example, a mother, sister, or daughter who has had breast cancer.
    • Women between 40 and 44 have the option to start screening with a mammogram every year.
    • Women 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.
    • Women 55 and older can switch to a mammogram every other year, or they can choose to continue yearly mammograms. Screening should continue as long as a woman is in good health and is expected to live at least 10 more years.
    • All women should understand what to expect when getting a mammogram for breast cancer screening – what the test can and cannot do.

    Breast cancer in young women is—

    • More likely to be hereditary than breast cancer in older women.
    • More common among African American women.
    • More likely to be found at a later stage, and is often more aggressive and difficult to treat.
    • Often coupled with unique issues, including concerns about body image, sexual health, fertility, feelings of isolation, mental health support, and the financial burden of treatment and care.

  • Signs and Symptoms

    The most common symptom of breast cancer is a new lump or mass (although most breast lumps are not cancer). A painless, hard mass that has irregular edges is more likely to be cancer, but breast cancers can be also soft, round, tender, or even painful.


    • Swelling of all or part of a breast (even if no lump is felt)
    • Skin dimpling (sometimes looking like an orange peel)
    • Breast or nipple pain
    • Nipple retraction (turning inward)
    • Nipple or breast skin that is red, dry, flaking, or thickened
    • Nipple discharge (other than breast milk)
    • Swollen lymph nodes under the arm or near the collar bone 

    Overall, the average risk of a woman in the United States developing breast cancer sometime in her life is about 13%. This means there is a 1 in 8 chance she will develop breast cancer. This also means there is a 7 in 8 chance she will never have the disease.


  • Data on Breast Cancer

    Mississippi’s mortality rate for breast cancer (23.8) is higher than the national rate (19.5) for 2017-2021.


    Mississippi’s incidence rate for breast cancer in women is 122.3 compared to the national incidence rate of 129. 


    Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers. It accounts for about 30% (or 1 in 3) of all new female cancers each year.


    The American Cancer Society's estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2024 are: 

    • About 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. 
    • About 56,500 new cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) will be diagnosed.  
    • About 42,250 women will die from breast cancer.
    • The median age at diagnosis is slightly younger for Black women (60 years old) compared to White women (64 years old).
    • Black women have the highest death rate from breast cancer. This is thought to be partially because Black women have a higher risk of triple-negative breast cancer - more than any other racial or ethnic group.
    • At every age, Black women are more likely to die from breast cancer than any other race or ethnic group.

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