Study Show African-Americans With Colon Cancer Have Lower Survival Rates

According to new research published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, African-American patients with colorectal cancer are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease and are less likely to undergo surgery compared with Caucasians.

The researchers evaluated four years of population-based Medicare and Medicaid administrative claims and identified data for patients with colon cancer, rectal cancer, pancreatic, gastric and esophageal cancer.  Key data used in the analysis included likelihood of late-stage diagnosis, likelihood of surgical treatment after diagnosis, and survival.

In evaluating the data, researchers discovered that African-American patients with colon and rectal cancer were more likely to present with metastatic disease and less likely to undergo operations.
Also, the median survival of African-Americans with colon and rectal cancer in the study was significantly less than that for Caucasians.

No racial differences in survival were observed among patients with esophagus, gastric, or pancreatic cancer.

The results of this study suggest that improvements in screening and rates of operation may reduce differences in colorectal cancer outcomes for African-Americans.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States.

For free information about colon cancer, see the colon cancer malpractice attorneys of Pennsylvania.