Breast cancer mortality rate declines in NC, report says

The breast cancer mortality rate is down in North Carolina, but more women are being diagnosed with the disease each year. That’s according to a new report by research hub Carolina Demography. 

The breast cancer incidence rate in North Carolina increased by 23% between 2003 and 2021, according to the analysis released this month.

Much of that uptick may be explained by increased access to preventative screenings. Improved treatment options have helped lower the state’s overall mortality rate. But there are still significant disparities among racial groups. 

Amy Pulliam is a program manager and public health researcher with Carolina Demography. She says that although data shows Black women are now more likely to be screened for breast cancer, they die from the disease at a much higher rate than white women. 

“As a minority, often it's later on, the screening is not in the early stages," she says. "You actually get the screening because it was a large knot or something found, not in a preventative manner, but as an intervention." 

Pulliam says health care access continues to be a major barrier, for both minority women and those who live in rural areas without major hospital systems nearby.

“They're largely dependent on the local facilities, like the local health departments," she says. "Are they able to get in and get seen? Or is there availability? As far as getting served on some mobile units, will they come out there?”

Pulliam says it’s likely that Medicaid expansion has made it easier for many women to seek care. But the most recent data available is from 2022, a year before the expansion went into effect.