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Disadvantaged neighborhoods and racial disparity in breast cancer outcomes: the biological link

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Abstract

Neighborhoods encompass complex environments comprised of unique economic, physical, and social characteristics that have a profound impact on the residing individual’s health and, collectively, on the community’s wellbeing. Neighborhood disadvantage (ND) is one of several factors that prominently contributes to racial breast cancer (BC) health disparities in American women. African American (AA) women develop more aggressive breast cancer features, such as triple-negative receptor status and more advanced histologic grade and tumor stage, and suffer worse clinical outcomes than European American (EA) women. While the adverse effects of neighborhood disadvantage on health, including increased risk of cancer and decreased longevity, have recently come into focus, the specific molecular mechanisms by which neighborhood disadvantage increases BC risk and worsens BC outcomes (survivorship, recurrence, mortality) are not fully elucidated. This review illuminates the probable biological links between neighborhood disadvantage and predominantly BC risk, with an emphasis on stress reactivity and inflammation, epigenetics and telomere length in response to adverse neighborhood conditions.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants to RA from the National Cancer Institute, including U01 CA179671 and R01 CA169127.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA

    Geetanjali Saini, Angela Ogden, Padmashree Rida & Ritu Aneja

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Lauren E. McCullough

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, Glenn Family Breast Center, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Mylin Torres

Authors
  1. Geetanjali Saini
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  2. Angela Ogden
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  3. Lauren E. McCullough
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  4. Mylin Torres
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  5. Padmashree Rida
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  6. Ritu Aneja
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Correspondence to Ritu Aneja.

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Saini, G., Ogden, A., McCullough, L.E. et al. Disadvantaged neighborhoods and racial disparity in breast cancer outcomes: the biological link. Cancer Causes Control 30, 677–686 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-019-01180-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-019-01180-4

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