Research Project Summary
Unfortunately, substantial health care disparities exist between Black and White women living with breast cancer in the United States. Although there have been advancements to the standard of care for breast cancer therapy, Black women are 40-42% more likely to die from the disease than White women (ASCO Post).
A common complication of breast cancer is breast metastases, which affects 15-50% of patients and significantly impacts survival. The healthcare disparities continue to exist for people of color living with brain metastases. Jiang et al (Journal of Neurosurgery 2023) utilized the NIH’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) database to define the overall survival of people living with brain metastases. Survival is dramatically impacted by one’s race. For example, Black patients living with brain metastases will have 9-month survival in comparison to 16 months for Asian-Pacific Islander patients.
Research Project Goals
Our results will directly impact health outcomes. We will bolster the knowledge regarding the natural history of both calvarial and brain metastases. Through early detection of new sites of metastatic disease, patients will have better disease control, which will improve overall survival as well as an improved quality of life.
Research Project Objectives
We have derived a clinical trial to combat the healthcare inequity by further understanding the natural history of brain metastases. Our hypothesis is that patients with high-risk, hormone-receptor positive breast cancer with bone metastases are at increased risk of brain metastases due to direct seeding from calvarial lesions.
We aim to elucidate the temporal and biological relationship between calvarial lesions and brain metastases to improve early detection and outcomes. We will identify molecular features (hormone receptor status, HER-2 status, etc.) placing individuals living with breast cancer at risk for the development of brain metastases. Since breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for women living in New Jersey, we strive to decrease the incidence of brain metastases as it has a direct impact on life expectancy and quality of life.