Racial disparities in use of SLNB in women with breast cancer

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

The use of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is used to stage early breast cancer in both black and white women increased from 2002 to 2007, but the rates remain lower in black than white patients. This led to higher risk for lymphedema in black women. SLNB ws developed to replace axillary lymph node dissection for staging early breast cancer to minimize complications. Although the use of SLNB has increased, black patients were 12% less likely to undergo the procedure. The 5-year cumulative risk for lymphedema was 8.2% in whilte and 12.3% percent in blacks. The researchers note other factors were associated with this disparity such as insurance coverage through Medicaid, living in areas with lower education or income levels, and living in areas with fewer surgeons.