Survival Disparities Between African-American and White Colo-rectal Cancer Patients

Extract

African-American patients with resected stage II and stage III colon cancer experienced worse overall and recurrence-free survival compared to whites, but similar recurrence-free intervals, according to a study published Oct. 12 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute .

Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. In 2006, there were an estimated 146,970 new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed in the U.S. Of those diagnosed, 15,000 were projected to occur in individuals of African ancestry, resulting in approximately 7,000 deaths. Despite overall improvements in colorectal cancer survival in the U.S., the survival difference between African-Americans and whites has not narrowed. The 5-year relative survival rates for black and white colorectal cancer patients between 1999 and 2005 were 57% and 68%. There is a greater disparity in colorectal cancer death rates between African-American and white women (25%) than their male counterparts (11%). Although several causes of the disparities have been identified, the reasons are not well understood.