ACS researchers report and explain statistics about breast cancer in a new article in CA: Cancer Journal for Clinicians and in Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2022-2024.
New Cancer Facts & Figures for African American/Black People finds breast cancer now surpasses lung as the leading cause of cancer death in Black women.
Cherly Knott, PhD, developed Project HEAL to help raise awareness about cancer prevention and screening for breast, prostate, & colorectal cancer. Learn more.
It’s true that people with darker skin have a lower risk of melanoma. But as a recent study showed, it’s also true that non-Hispanic Black Americans are more likely to have lower survival rates when they are diagnosed. That’s partly because compared with non-Hispanic whites, people with darker skin are more often diagnosed with later-stage melanoma (after it’s spread). It’s also because the most common type of melanoma among non-Hispanic Blacks—called acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM)—has a lower survival rate.