Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Immigrant women. While the incidence of breast cancer appears to be lower than that in non-Immigrant women, the survival rate for Immigrant women is lower. Immigrant women are diagnosed at a later stage of disease.
A number of factors may influence the poorer breast cancer-related outcomes observed in Immigrant women. Research suggests Immigrant women and their communities commonly regard cancer with a high level of fear and associate the disease with a fatal prognosis. This can result in delay or failure to participate in screening or seek medical attention for breast symptoms, skepticism regarding treatment efficacy, and insufficient community communication about the disease. Many of the Immigrant women don’t have medical insurance where as there are many clinics and agencies offering free screening and treatment.

Immigrant health workers play a pivotal role in the provision of culturally appropriate information and support to the Immigrant community, and are thus in an important position to assist in ameliorating the imbalance in outcomes for Immigrant women with breast cancer. However, there is no training program in breast cancer for Immigrant health workers to support them in their role.

Bastion Inc, Breast Cancer Awareness program for African Immigrants community involves a train-the-trainer workshop for health care workers, both immigrant and native born and a community-based awareness program to work in teams within the African community. The training will identify culturally specific factors that influence understanding of breast cancer symptoms, and barriers to early detection, and ways to communicate effectively with different population/cultural groups.