People of Black descent have a higher cancer burden and face greater obstacles to cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and survival. In fact, Black people have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial/ethnic group for most cancers.
Prostate cancer death rates in black men are more than double those of every other racial/ethnic group.
Black women are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women and are twice as likely to die if they are over 50.
In this series on Cancer we hear from patients, medical professionals and researchers who share their experience and discuss solutions to ensure better outcomes for Black and underrepresented groups.
Today we hear from Shae Eccleston who was diagnosed with a very rare form of head and neck cancer called Acinic Cell Carcinoma.
Shae is a Creative Consultant, Author, Story-Protector and Patient Advocate.
In part one Shae shares her journey to diagnosis and living with cancer.