BMI, physical activity, and breast cancer subtype in white, black, and Sea Island breast cancer survivors.

Higher BMI, lower rates of physical activity (PA), and hormone receptor-negative breast cancer (BC) subtype are associated with poorer BC treatment outcomes. We evaluated the prevalence of high BMI, low PA level, and BC subtype among survivors with white/European American (EA) and African American (AA) ancestry, as well as a distinct subset of AAs with Sea Island/Gullah ancestry (SI). We used the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry to identify 137 (42 EAs, 66 AAs, and 29 SIs) women diagnosed with BC and who were within 6-21 months of diagnosis.

Alcohol and Tobacco Use in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Breast Cancer Patients, Including Sea Island African Americans: Implications for Survivorship.

Data suggest that modifiable risk factors such as alcohol and tobacco use may increase the risk of breast cancer (BC) recurrence and reduce survival. Female BC mortality in South Carolina is 40% higher among African Americans (AAs) than European Americans (EAs). Given this substantial racial disparity, using a cross-sectional survey design we examined alcohol and tobacco use in an ethnically diverse statewide study of women with recently diagnosed invasive breast cancer.

Mapping cancer mortality-to-incidence ratios to illustrate racial and sex disparities in a high-risk population.

Background: Comparisons of incidence and mortality rates are the metrics used most commonly to define cancer-related racial disparities. In the US, and particularly in South Carolina, these largely disfavor African Americans (AAs). Computed from readily available data sources, the mortality-to-incidence rate ratio (MIR) provides a population-based indicator of survival.

Prostate cancer disparities in South Carolina: early detection, special programs, and descriptive epidemiology.

Available evidence suggests that there may be qualitative differences in the natural history of PrCA by race. If this is true then additional etiologic research is needed to identify places in the causal chain where we can intervene to lower PrCA rates in AA men. South Carolina may prove to be a useful context in which to study prostate cancer etiology, because of the presence of unique environmental exposures.

Breast cancer disparities in South Carolina: early detection, special programs, and descriptive epidemiology.

A discrepancy exists between mortality and incidence rates between African-American and European-American women in South Carolina. The relationship between tumor grade and the estrogen/ progesterone receptor status is different in African-American and European-American women. African-American women with breast cancer should be encouraged to participate in clinical trials, with the goal of identifying biological factors that might facilitate the detection of tumors at an earlier stage and the development of more effective therapies.