Black people are diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) at nearly three times the rate of their white counterparts—this collaborative project will create the first online hub of Black TNBC resources for the community, by the community.

TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance—in partnership with the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and Nueva Vida—was awarded the first “Toward Health Equity for Black People Impacted by Triple Negative Breast Cancer Resource Hub” grant from Gilead Sciences for their project Black TNBC Matters.

With a community-driven lens, the Black TNBC Matters team seeks to build a culturally agile, bilingual, scientifically vetted, search engine optimized (SEO)- and mobile-optimized, web-based home for Black people impacted by TNBC and their loved ones. The stellar team consists of leading advocacy groups for Black, and Latina people impacted by TNBC and other types of breast cancer; the country’s first and largest cancer research organization; and preeminent doctors with expertise in Black TNBC.

“Black TNBC Matters will start—and be grounded throughout the process—in community,” says Ricki Fairley, CEO of TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance. “The first thing that someone newly diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer does after they leave their doctor’s office is to search ‘triple negative breast cancer’ online. Usually sitting in their car on their cell phone. As is, the results are scary and confusing. If you add ‘Black’ into that search, it only gets worse. We want our resource hub to be a light in all that darkness. All Black people impacted by TNBC deserve to find community and hope from that very first search.”

Black breast cancer patients have a 41% higher mortality rate than white patients as well as the lowest 5-year survival rate of any race or ethnicity. The relative risk of recurrence for Black breast cancer patients is a staggering 39% higher than for white breast cancer patients. These statistics are compounded when you look at TNBC. Black people have almost three times higher odds of being diagnosed with TNBC, and Black women with late-stage TNBC have a dismal 10.2% 5-year relative survival, the lowest of all ethnicities.

But Black TNBC doesn’t have to be a death sentence—TNBC research is advancing at record speeds, the world is demanding action around health disparities, and the Black breast cancer community is more engaged and unified than ever before. Yet we are in dire need of a comprehensive, culturally tailored TNBC digital resource hub that can give the Black breast cancer community the best possible tools to educate and advocate for themselves and each other. Black TNBC patients deserve a safe and trusted home—informed by a community-based, scientifically sound approach—where they can find vetted, timely resources made accessible and engaging. Black TNBC Matters aims to be that source—a living, breathing resource that evolves and grows based on the ever-changing landscape of Black TNBC.

“Our motto is no one fights alone,” says Hayley Dinerman, Executive Director of the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation. “We want the Black TNBC Matters resource hub to be a tab that Black TNBC patients and their loved ones keep open on their computers, that they come back to on a regular basis in order to get what they need at any given point during their TNBC experience.”

“Nueva Vida is thrilled to partner with TOUCH, the TNBC Foundation, and AACR,” says Laura Logie, PhD, the Director of Research at Nueva Vida. “Together, we are committed to utilizing a community-driven lens to create the first TNBC resource hub, because Black and Latina TNBC matters.”

This unprecedented initiative is made possible by the generous support of Gilead Sciences, who has demonstrated time and again their commitment to the Black breast cancer community.

“Gilead recognizes that patients and communities often face challenges in accessing the best possible care, and we know that passion for scientific discovery alone — and that Gilead alone — cannot solve these challenges,” says Deborah H. Telman, Gilead's Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and General Counsel. “We believe that this hub will make critical strides towards health equity for Black women impacted by TNBC.”

Visit BlackTNBCMatters.org and follow @touchbbca to learn more about the collaboration and the project.

About TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance

TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance seeks to advance critical, life-saving science for Black breast cancer survivors/thrivers and drive the collaborative efforts of the breast cancer ecosystem—patients, survivors, advocates, advocacy organizations, health care professionals, researchers, and pharmaceutical companies—to work collectively, with accountability, towards the common goal of eradicating Black Breast Cancer.

About the TNBC Foundation

The TNBC Foundation is known throughout the triple negative breast cancer community as the most trusted source for TNBC-specific information and resources, demonstrated by its deep engagement from and dedicated relationship to the community. The TNBC Foundation is the credible source for triple negative breast cancer information, a catalyst for science and patient advocacy, and a caring community with meaningful services for patients and their families.

About AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR membership includes more than 54,000 laboratory, translational, and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and patient advocates residing in 130 countries and territories around the world. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 30 conferences and educational workshops; publishing 10 prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients, and their caregivers; funding meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations; and actively communicating with legislators and other policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

About Nueva Vida

Nueva Vida’s mission is to inform, support, and empower Latinas whose lives are affected by cancer as one of the few community-based nonprofits providing free, comprehensive, and culturally competent services along the cancer continuum in Spanish.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis, inflammation, and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.

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