Health News
Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Women of Color
By Dr. Elaine Batchlor
CEO, The New Martin
Luther King, Jr.
Hospital
Special to the NNPA
from Our Weekly
E
very October, people
lace up their sneakers
and walk to support
efforts to find a cure for
breast cancer. In a sea of
pink, there are heart
wrenching stories of sur-
vival, homemade signs in
memory of loved ones, and
hope of a cure for this dev-
astating disease that impacts
more than 230,000 women
and men every year. Even
though many people are
aware of breast cancer, there
is one strain of this disease
that few people know about.
It’s triple negative breast
cancer, which has higher
rates among women of
color.
As CEO of the new Mar-
tin Luther King Jr.
Community Hospital in
Watts and an African Amer-
ican woman, I want to
increase awareness of this
devastating type of breast
cancer. About 15 to 20 per-
cent of breast cancers are
triple negative. Studies have
suggested that being pre-
menopausal,
African
American, or Caribbean
increases the risk of devel-
oping triple negative breast
cancer. Among African
American women who
develop breast cancer, about
20 to 40 percent will be
triple negative.
Unlike other breast can-
cers, the most effective
treatment for triple negative
breast cancer is chemothera-
py. Newer treatments that
prevent, slow or stop cancer
growth by targeting breast
cancer receptors aren’t as
helpful in treating triple
negative breast cancer,
which makes early detection
even more important.
Throughout my 20-plus
year healthcare career, I
have found that lack of
access to information and
lack of access to resources
are among the biggest barri-
ers to individuals in our
community receiving effec-
tive care. Much of the time,
people don’t know where to
start. I am committed to
helping address this issue,
which is why I created the
Learning Center at the new
Martin Luther King Jr.
Community Hospital. The
objectives of the Learning
Center are to provide
resources that help residents
understand and enroll in
health insurance, to educate
community residents about
how to navigate the health-
care system and maintain
their health, and to partner
with community providers
and organizations to help
residents manage their
chronic conditions.
As part of our Learning
Center efforts, we are part-
nering with Triple Step
Toward the Cure, which
raises funds and educates
communities about triple
negative breast cancer. For
those who are diagnosed
with breast cancer, under-
standing their treatment
options and having a sup-
port system are critical to
managing their health. The
new Martin Luther King Jr.
Community Hospital and
Triple Step want to be there
throughout the healing jour-
ney.
Through
this
partnership, we will provide
Among African American
women who develop breast
cancer, about 20 to 40
percent will be triple negative
information to help individ-
uals learn about screening
and treatment options, and
ensure they have adequate
healthcare
The vision of the new
Martin Luther King Jr.
Community Hospital is to
be a leading model of inno-
vative,
collaborative
community healthcare. Our
mission is to provide com-
passionate, quality care and
improve the health of our
community. This partner-
ship is part of our
commitment and focus to
both. To learn more about
the new hospital, visit
www.MLKCommunityHos-
pital.org and for more
information on how you can
support Triple Step Toward
a
Cure
visit
www.TripleStepTowardthe-
Cure.org.
October 15, 2014 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 9