Controversial Study: Breast Cancer and Racial Discrimination

A new report, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, reports that black women who have been racially discriminated have a higher risk for breast cancer. Now, before you get all huffy, let's look past the knee jerk reaction of incredulity. There is a causal relationship between stress and health, and racial discrimination is a high cause of stress (from personal experience, I can attest to this).

However, here are a few points that I immediately pondered:

• Is there a difference in breast cancer occurrence based on economic strati?
• Is there a difference in breast cancer inherent between white and black women?
• Is there a difference in cancer occurrence between light and dark skinned black women?

The third question, though more subjective, may influence the amount of racial discrimination a woman faces in America (where, theoretically, light skin faces less discrimination versus dark).

Just thoughts...