Women of color face special challenges in the war on breast cancer

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- They are 4 simple words that every woman fears: you have breast cancer.

But one in nine woman in the U.S. will hear this in her lifetime.

There's one woman who is bringing to the forefront the unique and difficult fight women of color face when getting the dreaded diagnosis.

For 3 years, Marlena Ortiz questioned her doctors about a lump in her breast. But at such a young age, and with no family history of breast cancer, she says her worries were dismissed.

By age 25, when she was finally diagnosed, her cancer was at Stage 2.

She underwent a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation and today she is cancer-free.

Hers is a success story, but to some degree, Ortiz defied the odds.

Hispanic and African American women are less likely to get breast cancer than white women, but their chances of dying from the disease are greater.

There are several reasons for this.

Culturally, there can be a stigma associated with breast cancer, and that

can delay diagnosis.

There are also biological challenges - a genetic predisposition to triple negative cancers is, for example - that strike these groups harder and younger.

"African American and Caribbean American women in particular get a much more angry form of breast cancer than white women do, and it's often harder to treat," said Dr. Patrick Borgen, director of the Maimonides Breast Cancer Center.

And because minority women often face greater economic challenges and are less likely to seek out medical care, they're often not diagnosed until the disease

is more advanced.

But there is a front line in the battle: regular mammograms.

"The challenge has been getting the message out to African American women, to Caribbean American women, to Hispanic women that mammograms are important," said Borgen. "Mammograms save lives."

Until recently, lack of health insurance coverage was the main reason women skipped mammograms. But new health laws have made access easier.

Ortiz understands firsthand the difficulties these women face and advises, "If you do feel something, say something. Demand that it's looked at by a machine not just by magical hands."

Her personal journey inspired Ortiz to start "Beating Cancer in Heels," a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women feel beautiful during cancer treatments, regardless of their ethnicity or age.