Far More African Americans Die From Cancer Than White Americans

The gap in cancer mortality rates between African Americans and white Americans remains as wide as it was in 1981, according to a recent study published by the American Cancer Society.  According to the report, blacks are more likely to develop cancer and to die from the disease than any other racial group. Black patients also live a shorter time after diagnosis than other groups.  According to the study, black women are 16% more likely to die from the disease than white women, compared with 14% in 1981. Cancer death rates among black men are 33% higher than among whites -- a rate that is almost unchanged since 1981, the study found. However, according to the study, the overall death rate among black men has decreased faster than among white men because fewer black men are dying from lung and prostate tumors.

Peter Bach, a cancer specialist at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, who was not involved in the study, was quoted as saying that advanced-stage diagnoses are more common among blacks than whites, and that blacks also are less likely to receive high-quality, timely treatment that could make a difference in their survival rate.

If you or someone you love suffered injury or death due to the failure to timely diagnose and treat cancer, you should contact the lawyers at Berger & Lagnese for a free consultation.  The lawyers at Berger & Lagnese specialize in medical malpractice cases involving the failure to diagnose and treat cancer.