“Race was an important crude predictor of breast cancer survival. The mortality among Black women was 1.31 times that of Whites (95% CI of RR= 1.03-1.74). The relative risk remained essentially the same after adjustment for age, stage, and histology (RR=1.35, 95% CI= 1.05-1.72). Adding social class variables to this model, however, rendered race a substantially weaker predictor of breast cancer survival (RR=1.10, 95% CI= 0.83-1.46).”

“How social class influences breast cancer survival remains unclear…. Others have postulated that differences in detection or treatment, whether due to access to care or patient behavior, are the mechanisms whereby social class affects survival.”