Hope for the Future: How the VOICES of Black Women Study is Changing the Future of Breast Cancer Care

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a time to remember to schedule annual screenings and celebrate survivors. It’s also the time to remember those we have lost to the disease, a reality faced by many, including Chentelle Lane.

Both her grandmother and her mom had breast cancer at the same time. Her mom’s first diagnosis and her grandmother’s second diagnosis were simultaneous.

“We had great family trips planned, and we had to cancel,” Lane says. “It was one of those moments that was quite devastating as she was the heart of our family.”

Her uncle also shared with her that her great-grandmother had metastatic breast cancer, but the records back then for Black Americans were so poorly kept that they didn’t have anything in writing.

“Early access to care and navigating the health care system while Black was something they all struggled with,” says Lane. “That was a huge issue for my mom. She said to me, I’m dying, and no one’s listening. Health care systematically eroded her trust and undermined her health.”

Her mom went from being misdiagnosed for six months with rheumatoid arthritis to finding out that she had metastatic cancer via the hospital system’s online portal. It wasn’t until a female doctor got her blood work that she finally received the correct diagnosis. She listened to her body, advocated for herself and pushed people to listen to her. Lane says it gave them three more years together.

Lane lost her mom at age 60 to breast cancer in November 2023, after a 16-year battle. Her grandmother passed away in 2012 at the age of 77 after her second breast cancer diagnosis.

“I’m grateful for the 38 years I had with them but still feel like we were robbed,” she says. “I remember the day I found her prayer journal, and she had only two pages earmarked — the ones that I absolutely needed in that moment.”

Knowing her history, Lane has undergone genetic testing and tested negative for the BRCA gene. She’s also enrolled in the American Cancer Society’s VOICES of Black Women study, committed to changing the future for the next generation, including her daughter, Aziah.

“Black women are built differently,” she says. “So, our health care has to be different. The way to do that is to step up and provide information fully to those who are asking for and wanting it. My participation [in VOICES of Black Women] is more than personal — it’s a powerful act of advocacy. By joining this study, I’m honoring my mother, my grandmother, my great-grandmother and every Black woman who has faced this challenging journey.”

POWERFUL RESEARCH

VOICES of Black Women drives a deeper understanding of cancer disparities.

The American Cancer Society launched the VOICES of Black Women study last year — the largest behavioral- and environmental-focused population study of cancer risks and outcomes in Black women in the United States. Designed to better understand the multi-level drivers of cancer incidence, mortality and resilience within this demographic, the long-term study will gather valuable data from Black women between the ages of 25 and 55 from diverse backgrounds and income levels who have not been diagnosed with cancer.

The American Cancer Society will enroll over 100,000 Black women nationwide, including in Ohio.

Shanice Pearce is a committed ambassador for VOICES of Black Women. In October 2023, she was diagnosed with Stage 1, Grade 3, Triple Negative Breast Cancer. She began treatment two weeks later and completed 12 rounds of chemotherapy in January 2024. In February 2024, she had a double mastectomy. In September 2024, she completed DIEP flap breast reconstruction surgery and is in remission today.

“I want to be a voice for the Black community,” she says, “so we can be on the uptick for survival rates, not on the uptick for mortality rates.”

The American Cancer Society believes everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat and survive cancer. Fulfilling the organization’s vision of ending cancer as we know it for everyone requires focus on eliminating deeply rooted barriers that have caused long-standing inequities in cancer outcomes. The VOICES of Black Women study represents a significant stride toward achieving this goal and underscores the organization’s unwavering commitment to health equity and social justice.

For more information about the VOICES of Black Women study and how to participate, visit voices.cancer.org.