Moving the Needle on Breast Cancer
Hi Byte Wellness Fam!
How are you feeling?
Honestly, I’m tired. But, I’m making time to rest. That’s progress for me.
Speaking of progress, let's advance the conversation around our breast cancer risks. This month (October) is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Our timelines are filled with breast cancer awareness ribbons and t-shirts. Then, of course, we’re also hearing a lot of talk about racial gaps in breast cancer deaths, mammograms and the importance of early detection.
That’s what we explored in the #PhyteWellWednesday Workshop this week.
Click the video above to watch the Workshop recording on the website. If you want invites to these sessions plus a daily wellness text lesson, send TEXT to 1(866)717-1919.
It’s not hard to justify these conversations.
We have every reason in the world to unpack the drivers of breast cancer disparities that could shorten our lives and the lives of so many of our loved ones.
After all, Black women in the U.S. are about 40% MORE likely to die from breast cancer despite being about 4% LESS likely to develop breast cancer, compared to White women.
There are things we can do to boost our chances of survival.
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Discussion Question
Question: What was your favorite type of movement or physical play as a kid?
When is the last time you did that thing?
Mammograms are Only One Piece of the Puzzle
Getting mammograms early and often (every 1-2 years) is an important way to find breast cancer while it’s in its earliest and most treatable stages.
We’re more likely to survive a breast cancer diagnosis if it’s caught in its early stages. So mammograms play an huge role in improving breast cancer survival rates (or making sure fewer Black women die from Breast cancer).
Obviously, the conversation about saving our lives after breast cancer diagnosis must include healthcare access (including mammograms), but it can’t stop there.
But, when researchers identify the drivers of this survival disparity (asked why Black women were so much more likely to die from breast cancer), here’s how the numbers panned out:
only about 40% of the gap is healthcare-related
Healthcare related factors include the likelihood of getting regular mammograms and starting treatment on time.
About 25% of the gap is related to biological differences between the tumors found in Black women vs. those found in White women.
We are at least twice as likely to have the more aggressive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). We also show differences in the activity of the immune cells surrounding the tumor (called its micro-environment).
Finally, 10 % of the gap is linked directly to co-morbidities
Co-morbidities are health conditions that women have to manage along with their breast cancer. They include conditions like type 2 diabetes and obesity, which are heavily influenced by our lifestyle habits. They are included in the study because they can increase our risk of breast cancer death.
The last 25% of the gap is a black hole. Researchers haven’t been able to identify these factors.
Less Sitting is Linked to Lower Breast Cancer Risk
So, lifestyle factors (like movement) may be directly effective in reducing 10-35% of the survivorship disadvantage that we experience after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
But, there’s another way to think about the role that movement plays in making sure that fewer Black women die from breast cancer: Use more movement to help us prevent breast cancer in the first place!
A study cited by the American Cancer Society shows that 30% of breast cancers could be prevented with lifestyle habits. That means the 4 wellness superpowers that we’re working on in this community don’t only help us feel better and manage our weight, but they could help us prevent life-threatening cancer.
Those superpowers are: eating plenty of whole food veggies, managing stress, getting quality sleep and moving as much as possible.
Another study (of about 49,000 women from the Black Women’s Health Study) found that simply sitting less is linked to lower rates of breast cancer diagnosis.
Over decades of follow-up, women in the study were:
- 38% less likely to be diagnosed with any type of breast cancer if they sat for fewer than 5 hours per day compared to those who sat for more than 10 hours per day.
-The limited sitters were 70% less likely to be diagnosed with hormone-receptor positive breast cancer (the most common kind).
The benefit of sitting less persisted even when BMI and exercise habits were accounted for.
How should we interpret these findings? Simple.
We can get the most breast cancer healing power out of our physical activity when we're active throughout the day (not simply active with exercise).
Getting daily exercise for 30 minutes to 1 hour per day (according to the CDC’s recommendations) is a tremendous way to boost our health and lower cancer risk across the board.
But, we’re leaving a lot of healing power on the table if we don’t practice frequent casual movement throughout the rest of the day.
Looking for easy, fun ways to get active? Try walking with GirlTrek. They're registering folks for the 9-day Prayer Trek now.
Have you or one of your loved ones experienced breast cancer? I’m curious- what advice you/they have gotten from doctors and support groups about how to make the most of the power to improve breast cancer risks? Let me know- our community could use your experience.
Meanwhile…
Happy Healthy Living,
Dr. Wuse