RECENT clinical findings reveal how patient racial perceptions affect healthcare team communication during breast cancer diagnosis. A cross-sectional analysis of 98 women who underwent surgery after a breast cancer diagnosis found that self-declared race was the only factor that independently lowered communication scores with staff.
Researchers used the postoperative module of the BREAST-Q to measure satisfaction with communication on a 0 to 100 scale at a publicly funded referral center. Of 98 women, 54 identified as White (55.1%) and 44 as Black (44.9%), with mixed race women grouped as Black. Black women were younger, had lower incomes, and were more likely to work outside the home. Education and clinical stage did not differ significantly.
Asked whether their treatment would have differed with another skin color, 58.1% of Black women said yes, compared with 29.6% of White women (P=0.005).
White women reported higher satisfaction across all three staff groups (all P<0.05). Mean breast surgeon scores were 96.5 for White women and 88.2 for Black women, nursing scores were 98.4 and 92.9, and support staff scores were 100.0 and 98.3. Scores were most similar with support staff and least similar with the breast surgeon. Race, income, and workplace lowered surgeon scores, race and income lowered nursing scores, and race alone lowered support staff scores. In multiple regression, race remained the only independent factor. Scores were high overall but more varied among Black women.
Limitations include a convenience sample, self-identified race, subjective perceptions, possible selection bias, and potential positive response bias, since some women completed the form with an interviewer’s help at the facility where they had surgery. The design cannot establish causation. Even so, the authors conclude that structural inequalities in communication should be addressed. For physicians, the results highlight how the delivery of information at diagnosis shapes the relationship between clinician and patient, which is central to early diagnosis and treatment adherence.
Reference
Hora JA et al. Racial Perceptions of Communication in Breast Cancer Diagnosis. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2026. doi:10.1007/s40615-026-03264-9
Featured Image: lordn on Adobe Stock.
Each article is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 License.
