Racial And Ethnic Minorities May Receive Less Appropriate Cancer Treatment March 5, 2002 (Journal of the National Cancer Institute) A review of past cancer treatment and survival studies suggests that race and ethnicity may be associated with the receipt of cancer treatment. In some cases, treatment differences were associated with more recurrences, shorter disease-free survival, and higher mortality rates, report Vickie L. Shavers, Ph.D., and Martin L. Brown, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute, in the March 6 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. A disproportionate number of cancers in the United States occur among racial and ethnic minorities. When compared with whites, Hispanics have a higher incidence of cervical cancer, Asians have twice the rate of stomach cancer, and African Americans have a higher incidence of prostate, lung, colon, oral, cervical, and stomach cancer. Increased access to cancer screening services and earlier detection may improve cancer outcomes among minorities; however, differences in cancer survival and mortality between minorities and whites still exist. "This observation suggests that factors other than the stage at diagnosis contribute to the disparate cancer mortality observed among racial/ethnic minority populations," the authors say. Past studies have suggested that a person's race or ethnicity influences their access and use of noncancer medical services. To determine the role race and ethnicity plays in the receipt of cancer treatments, Shavers and Brown re-examined published data from 87 studies of cancer treatment and survival, focusing on racial and ethnic variations in the treatment of patients with breast, cervical, colorectal, prostate, or lung cancer. The authors found consistent racial and ethnic differences in the receipt of primary therapy, conservative therapy, and adjuvant therapy. For instance, white patients often received more aggressive therapy than other racial and ethnic groups for lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers. In contrast, whites received less aggressive therapy-such as breast-conserving therapy-when the benefits of that therapy were well established. Racial and ethnic minorities were consistently found to have less frequently received appropriate surgery for lung and colorectal cancers. Past studies of equal access systems have suggested that equal treatment of a disease leads to similar outcomes between minorities and whites regardless of socioeconomic factors. The authors conclude that, "reducing the influence of non-clinical factors on the receipt of cancer treatment may provide an important means of reducing racial/ethnic disparities in health." They note, however, that additional studies are needed to determine the influence of access to care, socioeconomic status, and clinical staging, as well as beliefs and attitudes of patients and providers and their influence on racial/ethnic disparities in cancer treatment. Thanks to Intelihealth.com (Harvard University site) Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.