A recent study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention found that African American women are less likely to survive uterine cancer. It also found that rates of the cancer are rising in the United States, particularly among black and Asian women.
Researchers in the study analyzed more than 120,000 cases of uterine cancer diagnosed in the U.S. between 2000 and 2011.
The study also indicated that death rates for aggressive uterine cancer among black women were more than 1.5 times higher than among white women.
“It was somewhat surprising that the [uterine] cancer survival disparity we identified was limited to non-Hispanic black women, because many of the challenges previously linked to worse outcomes, including low socioeconomic status and high rates of obesity and diabetes, are also experienced by Hispanic women, but that population did not have poor outcomes,” study author Michele Cote said in a journal news release
Though there is no proven way to prevent uterine cancer, there are ways to lower the risk of getting it. Health experts recommend the following:
- Taking birth control pills
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Getting genetic testing or learning family history by talking to
- Considering uterine cancer risk before starting hormone replacement therapy during menopause, and ensuring that you’re taking an appropriate progestin to protect the lining of the uterus.