History of uterine leiomyoma and risk of endometrial cancer in black women

The incidence and mortality rates from endometrial cancer continue to increase worldwide, while rates in most other cancers have either plateaued or declined considerably. Uterine serous carcinoma represents a fraction of all endometrial malignancies each year, yet this histology is responsible for nearly 40% of all endometrial cancer-related deaths. These deaths disproportionately affect black women, who have higher rates of advanced disease at diagnosis. Molecular genetic analyses reveal major alterations including TP53 mutation, PIK3CA mutation/amplification, ERBB2 amplification, CCNE1 amplification, FBXW7 mutation/deletion, PPP2R1A mutation, and somatic mutations involving homologous recombination genes. Clinical risk factors for uterine serous carcinoma include advancing age, a history of breast cancer, tamoxifen usage, and the hereditary breast–ovarian cancer syndrome. Surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment. Recent advances in our understanding of uterine serous carcinoma molecular drivers have led to development of targeted therapeutics that promise improved outcomes for patients. Overexpression or amplification of HER2 in uterine serous carcinoma carries a poor prognosis; yet this actionable target has led to the incorporation of several anti-HER2 therapies, including trastuzumab which, when added to conventional chemotherapy, is associated with improved survival for women with advanced and recurrent HER2-positive disease. The combination of pembrolizumab and lenvatinib is also a promising targeted treatment strategy for women with uterine serous carcinoma, with a recent phase II study suggesting a 50% response rate in women with recurrent disease. Several trials examining additional targeted agents are ongoing. Despite years of stalled progress, meaningful, tailored treatment options are emerging for patients with this uncommon and biologically aggressive endometrial cancer subtype.

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Physical activity barriers and resources among black women with a history of breast and endometrial cancer: a systematic review

Journal of Cancer Survivorship ◽

10.1007/s11764-020-00873-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 556-577

Author(s):

Natasha R. Burse ◽

Nishat Bhuiyan ◽

Scherezade K. Mama ◽

Kathryn H. Schmitz

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Endometrial Cancer ◽

Black Women ◽

History Of

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Black Women in the ‘White City’

Journal of American Studies ◽

10.1017/s0021875800015917 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 319-337 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Ann Massa

Keyword(s):

Black Women ◽

World's Fair ◽

Hundredth Anniversary ◽

History Of ◽

Chicago World's Fair

The scope of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, which celebrated, albeit a year late, the four hundredth anniversary of Columbus's discovery of America, ranged over many centuries, numerous nations and almost every type of human achievement. The 27 million people who came to the five months long Fair were able to see Grace Darling's boat or Spanish galleons of Columbus's time; they could follow the history of transport from coracles to cars; they could see the latest in Krupp's cannon and Bell's telephone in a classically styled Machinery Hall six times the size of the Coliseum. With the exception of Louis Sullivan's golden Transportation Pavilion, the buildings which housed the Fair, covered uniformly with staff, composed a classical ‘White City’, grouped round a complex of lagoons and fountains on Chicago's Lake Front.

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Correlates of Medical Mistrust Among Minority Women at Risk for HIV and Their Networks

Health Education & Behavior ◽

10.1177/1090198120986783 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 109019812098678

Author(s):

Laura M. Johnson ◽

Harold D. Green ◽

Brandon Koch ◽

Robert Harding ◽

Jamila K. Stockman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Black Women ◽

Hiv Prevention ◽

Risk Groups ◽

Medical Mistrust ◽

Individual Level ◽

Prevention And Treatment ◽

Egocentric Network ◽

History Of ◽

Sex With Men

Background Medical mistrust is a barrier to engaging in HIV prevention and treatment, including testing and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Research often focuses on how race and experiences of discrimination relate to medical mistrust, overlooking the role that other characteristics may play (e.g., history of physical abuse, diagnosis of mental illness). Furthermore, studies are often restricted to samples of men who have sex with men and findings may not generalize to other at-risk groups. Aims The current study explores a range of demographic, cognitive, behavioral, and social network correlates of medical mistrust. Method This study employed an egocentric network design among a racially diverse sample of at-risk women and women in their social networks ( n = 165). Results Results from multivariable linear regressions stratified by race (Black vs. others) indicate that medical mistrust is associated with both individual-level and network-level characteristics. Across both groups, age and experiences of racial discrimination were associated with higher medical mistrust. Having a regular sex partner and having a higher proportion of network members who are family was significantly associated with medical mistrust among non-Black women. Discussion Individual-level and network-level variables were significantly associated with medical mistrust. Therefore, interventions that attempt to mitigate medical mistrust as a barrier to HIV prevention and treatment should consider how mistrust may be related to characteristics of individuals and broader contexts. Conclusion Health interventions may benefit from conceiving of medical mistrust as a complex, rational response to cumulative discriminatory life experiences and a reflection of the networks within which individuals are embedded.

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Reflections

Eighteenth-Century Fiction ◽

10.3138/ecf.33.4.557 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 557-576

Author(s):

Laura Engel

Keyword(s):

Eighteenth Century ◽

Black Women ◽

Subject Matter ◽

History Of ◽

Visual History ◽

Contemporary Artists

Contemporary artists Elizabeth Colomba and Fabiola Jean-Louis employ eighteenth-century subject matter, iconography, and media to reimagine the visual history of Black women. Putting Colomba’s and Jean-Louis’s work in dialogue with my own, I return to the premises of my book Women, Performance, and the Material of Memory: The Archival Tourist (2019), to re-examine, interrogate, and acknowledge my position as a white scholar.

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Insulin Resistance and Inflammation in Black Women with and without Breast Cancer: Cause for Concern

Ethnicity & Disease ◽

10.18865/ed.26.4.513 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 513 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kathleen A. Griffith ◽

Seon Yoon Chung ◽

Shijun Zhu ◽

Alice S. Ryan

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Insulin Resistance ◽

Black Women ◽

White Women ◽

Cancer Recurrence ◽

Control Group ◽

Study Objective ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Tnf Α ◽

History Of

Objective: After chemotherapy for breast cancer, Black women gain more weight and have an increased mortality rate compared with White women. Our study objective was to compare biomarkers associated with obesity in Black women with and without a history of breast cancer.Design: Case-controlSetting: Academic/federal institutionParticipants: Black women with a history of breast cancer (cases) and age-matched controls.Methods: We compared insulin resistance, inflammation, and lipids in overweight and obese Black women with a history of breast cancer (n=19), age similar controls (n=25), and older controls (n=32). Groups did not differ on mean body mass index (BMI), which was 35.4 kg/m2, 36.0 kg/m2, and 33.0 kg/m2, respectively.Main Outcome Measures: Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR); inflammation (TNF-α, IL-1b, IL-6, IL-8, CRP); lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides).Results: Cases had 1.6 and 1.38 times higher HOMA-IR values compared with age similar and older controls, respectively (P≤.001 for both). TNF-α and IL-1b were significantly higher in cases compared with both control groups (P<.001 for both). IL-6 was also higher in cases compared with age-similar controls (P=.007), and IL-8 was lower in cases compared with older controls (P<.05). Lipids did not differ between cases and either control group.Conclusions: Black women with breast cancer were significantly more insulin resistant with increased inflammation compared not only with age similar controls but with women who were, on average, a decade older. These biomarkers of insulin resistance and inflammation may be associated with increased risk of breast cancer recurrence and require ongoing evaluation, especially given the relatively abnormal findings compared with the controls in this underserved group. Ethn Dis. 2016;26(4):513-520; doi:10.18865/ed.26.4.513

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Memeification of Black Women’s Trauma

New Sociology: Journal of Critical Praxis ◽

10.25071/2563-3694.55 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Natalie Stravens

Keyword(s):

Popular Culture ◽

Black Women ◽

Western Culture ◽

Black Feminist ◽

Black Lives Matter ◽

The People ◽

Online Spaces ◽

History Of

This piece discusses the online and offline discourses on the lives and bodies of Black femme and nonbinary individuals and the harm that is so casually inflicted upon us. Through popular stories of harm performed around famous Black women, such as with rapper Megan Thee Stallion, I connect the history of Black women in popular culture to current online spaces that continue to minimize and trivialize our trauma. I seek to highlight that these stories are not an anomaly, but rather sentiments rooted in the misogynoir that is so entrenched in western culture and have been expanded and weaponized within the online sphere. In addition, the piece challenges the universality of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in its implementation, criticizing its propensity to forget its feminine victims. It is important to emphasize where it has failed and where it needs to be intentional about the people it has overlooked, as this is a movement that began online, where this harm is currently taking place, and at the hands and energies of Black femmes, the very people getting hurt. This piece has manifested from many conversations already occurring in online Black feminist spaces about our treatment and our needs. It invites others into the fold and seeks to encourage individuals to critically reflect on how Black femme and non-binary individuals are presented on their timeline in-between the numerous BLM posts that claim to protect them.

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Abstract MP038: Age at Menarche is Associated with Type 2 Diabetes in Young Adulthood: the CARDIA Study

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.125.suppl_10.amp038 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽

Author(s):

Jill Dreyfus ◽

Pamela J Schreiner ◽

Mercedes R Carnethon ◽

Hilary Whitham ◽

Richard Maclehose ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Black Women ◽

Young Women ◽

White Women ◽

Age At Menarche ◽

Family History Of Diabetes ◽

History Of ◽

Baseline Bmi ◽

Menarche Age

Introduction: Recent studies report an association between early age at menarche and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, information in young women is limited to self-reported diabetes in primarily white populations. We explored the association of age at menarche and clinically-defined T2D among young black and white women (mean age 25 at baseline) in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) cohort. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that the rate for T2D will decrease with each 1 year increase in age at menarche. Methods: Our analysis included 1,258 white and 1,341 black women (total=2,599) who participated in CARDIA during 1985-2006. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for T2D (yes/no as determined at clinic visits) by continuous age at menarche. We excluded women with diabetes at baseline, missing age at menarche, or menarche <8 or >18 years. T2D was defined cumulatively from baseline among non-pregnant women as fasting blood glucose ≥ 126 mg/dl, A1C ≥ 6.5%, 2-hour oral glucose tolerance ≥ 200 mg/dl, or use of diabetes medication. Adjusted models included race (except race stratified models) and parental history of diabetes, as well as baseline age, education, and BMI as covariates. Results: Mean age at menarche was 12.6 years (SD=1.5; black=12.5, white=12.7). We identified 176 cases of T2D over 20 years of follow-up (cumulative incidence=6.8%). Among all women, the rate for T2D decreased by 16% for each 1 year increase in menarche age ( Table 1 ); we found no evidence of nonlinearity. HRs remained protective, but no longer statistically significant after adjustment for BMI. HRs were lower for white women compared to black women, although a test for race by menarche age interaction was not significant (p=0.26). Conclusions: We found evidence to support the hypothesis that early menarche increases the rate for T2D among young women. Higher baseline BMI among women with earlier menarche appears to attenuate the association of age at menarche and future glucose metabolism. Table 1. Hazard Ratio (HR) of Type 2 Diabetes for Each One Year Increase in Age at Menarche in the CARDIA Study, 1985-2006 Crude Model 1 Model 2 # T2D HR 95% CI HR 95% CI HR 95% CI All Women 176 0.84 0.76, 0.93 0.88 0.79, 0.98 0.94 0.85, 1.04 White 46 0.78 0.64, 0.96 0.83 0.68, 1.02 0.93 0.76, 1.16 Black 130 0.90 0.80, 1.01 0.90 0.80, 1.02 0.96 0.85, 1.08 Model 1: adjusted for race (except for race-stratified models), family history of diabetes, baseline age, and participant level of education at baseline (<HS, HS, >HS) Model 2: adjusted for variables in Model 1 plus baseline BMI

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Such a State of Uncertainty, Caution, and Fear, 1946–1961

Pauli Murray ◽

10.5149/northcarolina/9781469654928.003.0004 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 145-205

Author(s):

Troy R. Saxby

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

World War Ii ◽

Black Women ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Employment Opportunities ◽

Health Concerns ◽

Cornell University ◽

Women Lawyers ◽

History Of ◽

The Cold War

This chapter examines Pauli Murray’s life during the Cold War era. Preferential treatment for returned servicemen and McCarthyism further disadvantaged Murray’s employment opportunities in the post-World War II period. Most notably, Cornell University denied her employment because of her “past associations.” Murray responded by writing Proud Shoes, a history of her maternal grandparents. Physical and mental health concerns continued to plague Murray, and as one of only a few independent black women lawyers in New York City, Murray struggled to make a living. In the late 1950s she became a corporate lawyer, wrote poetry, and then went to Ghana to teach law and explore her own racial identity.

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Resources for Historical Background

African American Women Chemists ◽

10.1093/oso/9780199742882.003.0005 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Jeannette Brown

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Black Women ◽

Women Scientists ◽

The United States ◽

Women In Science ◽

Black College ◽

Background Information ◽

History Of ◽

Worth Reading ◽

Background History

Many historians have written about the history of African Americans in science, but most of the articles focus only on the men and very little is written about the women. It would take additional research to find information pertaining only to the women. However, since both men and women lived through the same era, much of what affected the men also affected the women. The background information about black women chemists could probably fit into another book or at least a paper, but that was not within the scope of this book. Dr. Wini Warren, author of Black Women Scientists in the United States, did some extensive research on the background history of black women in science, which she planned to put into a future book; due to health problems it was never written. However, the Introduction to Dr. Warren’s book is well worth reading for some of the background history of the women. The endnotes in that chapter provide an extensive bibliography about the history of blacks in science. In addition, Dr. Warren includes an extensive discussion about the background history of black women scientists in the introduction of her thesis, “Hearts and Minds: Black Women Scientists in the United States 1900–1960.” Sisters in Science by Diann Jordan features author interviews of black women scientists, some of whom are chemists. The Introduction of her book, discusses the background history. Dr. Jordan also includes a history of black colleges in the section “The Role of the Black College in Educating African American Scientists.” Since many of the women in this book had their first college education in a black college, it is worth reading. Information about several of the African American women chemists in this book can be found in Contributions of Black Women to America, Volume 2. The Introduction and Chapter 1 in the “Science” section give some background information about the history of women in science.

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