African American women face a more aggressive type of endometrial cancer. Researchers can’t explain why Health Nov 17, 2017 1:00 PM EST

It’s a puzzle with answers that have long eluded researchers: African American women are more likely to have a more aggressive form of endometrial cancer and more than twice as likely to die from it than white women, according to the American Cancer Society.

Endometrial cancer, a common form of uterine cancer, has an 80 percent rate of survival over a five-year period for most women diagnosed at age 60 and above, according to the National Cancer Institute. This year, the American Cancer Society projects 61,380 women will be diagnosed with the disease and 10,920 will die from it.

It typically begins as a tumor in the innermost layer of the uterus, and can spread to other organs like the bowel and bladder. African American women are more likely to have more aggressive tumor types and a cancer that progresses to an advanced stage, putting them at higher risk for negative outcomes.

A study published in September 2015 by the American Association for Cancer Research showed that black women were 80 percent more likely to die from endometrial cancer after diagnosis than white women, “one of the greatest seen among common cancers,” the study reads.

Why this group is at a higher risk is unclear. Ebony Hoskins, a gynecologic oncologist in Maryland at Women’s Health Specialists Clinic thinks it goes beyond access.

“Even when researchers look at the socioeconomic levels, it is still biology that’s different [in African Americans],” Hoskins said. “I have noticed that when I see women of African descent, they typically have more aggressive tumor types which can correlate to a higher stage [of cancer].”

Two years ago, Ruth Scarbrough, who is African American, was diagnosed with …

Please read original article- African American women face a more aggressive type of endometrial cancer. Researchers can’t explain why