The Center for Health Innovation has award Yara Abdou, MD, assistant professor in the division of oncology, an “Innovation Pilot Award” for “Investigating Survivin As a New Target to Improve Outcomes of Breast Cancer in Black Women.”
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of female cancer mortality in the United States. While recent research and treatment advances have significantly lowered breast cancer mortality rates, the decline in mortality in Black women continues to lag behind as death rates are 41% higher in Black women than White women. Survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis protein, has been identified as being strongly correlated with poor breast cancer prognosis and is expressed differently in Black versus White women. UNC Health aims to better understand the differences in survivin expression across racial groups to improve prediction of breast cancer recurrence and survival, potentially resulting in improved treatment strategies.