Home > Community resources > HealthDay News > Racial Gap in U.S. Cancer Deaths Is Narrowing: Report | |||
Community resources
|
HealthDay News
![]() ![]() Racial Gap in U.S. Cancer Deaths Is Narrowing: Report
But black women still more susceptible to breast cancer, black men to colon cancer
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, Feb. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- The gap in cancer deaths among blacks and whites in the United States has narrowed for most cancers, but disparities remain for two common cancers, a new report from the American Cancer Society says. For deaths from breast cancer in women, the gulf between blacks and whites has widened, the report noted. For deaths attributed to colon cancer in men, the racial divide has remained the same. This imbalance is likely caused by inequalities in access to care, screening and treatment, the researchers said. "There is good news. Cancer death rates among black women are decreasing for all of the top cancers, but compared to whites not as much progress has been made -- particularly for breast cancer," said lead researcher Carol DeSantis, an epidemiologist with the cancer society. In men, the death rates for colon cancer have remained 50 percent higher for blacks than whites, she said. "For all of the major cancers, deaths are higher for blacks than whites," she added. Reductions in overall cancer deaths since the early 1990s have saved more than 300,000 black lives over the past 20 years, the report said. Deaths from cancer are declining because improved screening detects many cancers earlier, and improvements in care have made treatments more effective, DeSantis said. "The disparities remain because not everyone is getting access to the best cancer therapies," she said. The disparity in care is more economic than racial, DeSantis said. "It's just that there are more poor blacks," she said. The report was published Feb. 22 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. Cancer death rates have dropped faster among blacks than whites for all cancers combined, and for lung, prostate and colon cancer in women, the researchers found. Other highlights from the report:
Dr. Christopher Flowers is chair of the Health Disparities Committee for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He said, "There is some promising news that there is a narrowing of the gap in cancer disparities, but [this study] also raises the concern that there still is a gap between black and white patients in terms of cancer deaths." Flowers added that ASCO is trying to develop new ways to educate doctors and improve the quality of care in hospitals that "serve traditionally underserved populations." He said Medicaid reform might help to address the racial disparities in cancer care, and added that that's another area where ASCO is working to make changes. DeSantis noted that changes in insurance access will likely help. In particular, she said, the Affordable Care Act (known as Obamacare) may help narrow the gap between blacks and whites, because more people will have health insurance. "That's a huge step," she said. More information For more on cancer, visit the American Cancer Society. Copyright © 2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
|
||