If you are standing in a group of eight women, statistics show
that at least one will develop breast cancer during their
lifetime. When a woman is considering her risk for developing
breast cancer, her ethnicity is an important factor. White women
in the United States having a slightly higher likelihood of
developing breast cancer than African American women. Yet,
tragically, the latter group is more likely to have a greater
chance of developing breast cancer under age 45 and die from the
disease. Asian, Hispanic and Native American women, on the other
hand, have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast
cancer. Still, the most common form of cancer death among
Hispanic females is breast cancer. A woman’s risk of breast
cancer doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother,
sister or daughter) who has been diagnosed with the disease.
About 15 percent of women who get breast cancer have a family
member who has been diagnosed with it. Until recently, many
considered that the disparities in the breast