VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — All month long, News 3 has been shining a light on issues surrounding breast cancer.
News 3’s team of investigators has been digging deeper into disparities among Black women. But how does that look here in Hampton Roads?
Investigations
Newport News radiologist suggests Black women begin mammograms at 35 due to risk
Kim Pender of Virginia Beach recalls her personal journey 11 years ago when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I did 16 rounds of chemo, nine weeks of radiation, several surgeries, [a] double mastectomy. Just so many things, and it was all so fast,” she said. “It was very difficult because there's a lot of stigma with breast cancer as well, especially in African-American women. We're taught to be strong from the very beginning and to be a superhero, per se. So, we don't, all the time, put ourselves first.”
Now, 10 years cancer-free, her mission is to educate and help others in her home area, especially when it comes to disparities among Black women.
WATCH: Newport News radiologist suggests Black women begin mammograms at 35 due to risk
“I needed to do something to try and give back and to try and help save lives, because I felt God saved me. So I need to do the same by doing whatever I can,” Pender said.
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in American women and the second leading cause of death from cancer among women.
“I just left a patient's room 10 minutes ago, somebody who has a newly diagnosed breast cancer,” Dr. Marybeth Hughes, Chief of Surgical Oncology for Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) said.
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Dr. Hughes told News 3 it's common for her office to have several breast cancer patients.
“We have one of the highest rates of triple-negative breast cancer in the country, and that is the most aggressive form of breast cancer,” Dr. Hughes said.
EVMS doctors are also getting the word out about a recent report by Susan G. Komen, detailing disparities among Black women in the Tidewater area and how we compare with other areas across the country.
The report names the 10 U.S. metropolitan areas where researchers said Black breast cancer disparities are the greatest. One of those was the Tidewater region.
WATCH: Virginia Beach woman diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant after years of voicing concerns
Dr. Milton Brown, EVMS’s Vice Dean of Research, has been keeping tabs on how prevalent breast cancer is in southeast Virginia.
“That just brings it home,” Dr. Brown told News 3. "It's in my backyard. I care.”
The study also found in four out of eight cities or counties in the metropolitan area, when compared with white women, Black women experienced lower breast cancer incidence rates, or rates measuring the number of new cases in a specific time period.
However, Black women had higher mortality rates.
Also, researchers stated both Suffolk and Chesapeake experienced the biggest disparities.
WATCH: Artificial intelligence is helping Hampton Roads doctors detect breast cancer
One map in the report stated Newport News, Norfolk, Hampton, and Portsmouth show concentrations of late-stage breast cancer diagnoses, with most cases being Black women.
Virginia Beach also shows high concentrations of diagnoses; however, most cases are in white women.
“When you think about what impacts cancer rates, first [there’s] genetics,” Dr. Brown said.
News 3 asked Brown why he believes the Tidewater region is ranked among the other ten metro areas regarding Black breast cancer disparities.
“There are socioeconomic determinants for that,” he said. "There are environmental determinants."
Investigations
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Dr. Brian Martin, the Director of EVMS’s Public Health Program, believes an emphasis on screening is important to address findings, such as those in the Komen report.
“Some of the things from a public health perspective that we would worry about is, what would prevent a woman from getting screened?” Dr. Martin said. "Number one, it could be that she just doesn't know about it. So, education is very important..."
As for EVMS, Dr. Brown said their study on GRAIL's Galleri multi-cancer early detection test News 3 told you about last month could help tackle local breast cancer.
WATCH: EVMS doctors studying blood test that can detect 50+ cancers, manufacturers say
“This is a new way of going after breast cancer research because you're focusing on women who have not been diagnosed with breast cancer,” Dr. Brown said. “That's early detection. That saves lives.”
Meanwhile, he said the school is also creating new therapies, and mentioned the school recently got a DoD breakthrough award for about $1.5 million to develop a new medicine for BRCA mutant patients.
"We’ve identified the place where BRCA, the suppressor, binds and causes its good action,” Dr. Brown said. “We want to make something that replaces BRCA1, so that you can take it once you’ve detected that you have the mutation, and it will keep you from developing cancer.”
As for Pender, she's hopeful for EVMS’s work, and she'll continue sharing her experiences and helping others navigate their journey.
Pender said she'll be involved with this year's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on November 4.
If you're looking for a place to get your mammograms done for free, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare offers them year-round for those who qualify. For information on how to set one up, click here.
