African-American women have poorer uterine cancer outcome

The puzzle of how some illnesses affect people of certain ethnic backgrounds differently than others continues to be a target of researchers. The latest study is on how African-American women fare with uterine cancer compared with their white peers. In this case, the findings are not ideal – they are more likely to die from uterine cancer. The study findings were published in the March 15 issue of Cancer. The study, done by Dr. Jason Wright, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and colleagues, involved almost over 80,000 women.

According to a press release issued by the American Cancer Society, African-American women were 60 percent more likely to die from their tumors than white women and survival time periods were also worse.

The press release says,

Dr. Wright and his team also found that over time, the incidence of serous tumors and clear cell tumors (two aggressive types of cancer) increased and the use of radiation decreased for both races. Lymph node dissection was performed to determine tumor stage more commonly in both races in recent years, and its use was well matched between the two groups (45 percent of blacks and 48 percent of whites).

The investigators note that differences in tumor characteristics and inequalities in care cannot completely explain the survival disparity between races found in this study. Biological differences might also play a role. Racial differences in risk factors such as obesity, medical comorbidities, and estrogen use have also been proposed as contributing to observed racial disparities in uterine cancer survival.

To read the press release in its entirety, go to Black women with uterine cancers more likely to die than white patients