Tim Tai, Senior Photographer

Every year, over 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Navigating treatment is a complicated journey and varies from person to person; some opt for a combination of radiation, chemotherapy, a lumpectomy — the localized removal of the cancerous region — or a mastectomy, the complete removal of all breast tissue. 

The most invasive option, mastectomies, can impact social life, body image, parenting and sex. For the most part, data on patient experience post-procedure has disproportionately excluded women of color. In October 2024, Yale School of Medicine researchers published a study on mastectomy perspectives and lived experiences of women of color.

“Before our study, we really didn’t know what life after mastectomy for women of color was like,” Dr. Jasmine A. Khubchandani told the News. “I’m on the quest to try to understand how culture impacts the way that people navigate the world.”

Khubchandani, a daughter of Indian immigrants, a Yale National Clinician Scholar Program alum and a now surgical resident at Massachusetts General Hospital, has an interest in racial and ethnic health equity. Her previous research endeavors felt detached, like she was sitting in an “ivory tower, behind the computer, crunch[ing] numbers about people from vulnerable communities, women of color, people of color.” 

Historically, breast cancer treatment has been about survival and prolonging the life of the patient, according to Khubchandani. Recently, however, medical advancements have made it so that health professionals can focus on optimizing quality of life during and after treatment.

This study, Khubchandani said, came about after collaborating with Dr. Rachel Greenup, associate professor and chief of breast surgical oncology, who expressed interest in financial toxicity — the financial challenges patients face due to the cost of medical care — and narrative medicine. Together, they sought to humanize the patients’ experiences by collecting qualitative, descriptive data rather than numbers or statistics.

Greenup, the daughter and sister of cancer survivors, knows first-hand how cancer changes lives. 

“Cancer treatment and its side effects, as well as the mental, emotional, physical, and financial impact of cancer is life-changing,” Greenup wrote to the News. “Yet, there is a beauty in watching people come together to support individuals as they go through treatment and into recovery.” 

Another study contributor was Rosetta Washington, a licensed social worker. She was introduced to the study as a Community Research Fellow in January 2022 through the Community Alliance for Research Engagement, or CARE, program. Washington’s sister underwent a double mastectomy around the time the study began, so understanding the cancer experience has been deeply personal.

“I was [my sister’s] caretaker … I stayed in New York for about 6 months to look after her and my two nieces,” Washington wrote. “I witnessed firsthand how cancer changes one’s life and affects the lives of others.” 

As a Community Research Fellow, Washington helped on the patient-interaction end, spreading the word about the study, interviewing patients and rewording questionnaires for clarity.

One of their findings was that women of color are less likely to get breast reconstruction, a personal decision made on the basis of appearance. Factors for why women of color often opted out included lack of information, not meeting the screening criteria due to BMI or smoking status, insurance coverage and even stigma.

While this study was comprehensive, Khubchandani noted that the term “woman of color” isn’t fully representative of the experience of non-white women.

For example, Khubchandani said she checks off the “Asian” box on censuses, but even then, “There are so many different cultures just within India. Me checking an Asian box might tell you something, but it doesn’t actually really capture my very unique culture: my immigrant culture or me growing up in an underserved community.” 

Washington hopes that support and mental health services are made more available to cancer patients. 

“So many women disclosed that they struggled internally with their diagnoses (not wanting to worry others, not being able to feel feminine, not wanting to look at their body in the mirror  …   Many women did not have an outlet to begin or understand how to heal,” Washington wrote to the News.

More than 100,000 women undergo mastectomies each year.