There are a couple of interesting studies on health disparities at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting. According to AACR, “Minority individuals are much more likely to develop and die from cancer than the general U.S. population. Previous research points to lack of health insurance, poverty, language and cultural barriers, and inadequate access to early detection services and good medical care as causes.” Yet these new studies at AACR point to genetics as a important cause for the “disparity of cancer incidence and mortality between African-Americans, Hispanics and Caucasians.”
Study—The Effect of Hospital and Physician Volume on Racial Differences in Disease Recurrence Following Surgery for Prostate Cancer (Abstract 3416)
The study found that African Americans had a higher rate of recurrence of prostate cancer, despite receiving treatment at “hospitals or by surgeons who performed a high number of such operations.” In other words, they received equivalent care. This is contrary to previous research in which it was presumed that disparities stemmed from
Many previous studies and an Institute of Medicine report have shown that African Americans have a higher rate of prostate cancer recurrence and greater mortality. It was assumed that this was because of unequal access to care. However, in this study, when the researchers looked at the results, racial disparities persisted, even when African Americans received treatment at high-volume institutions.
Study—Differential Gene Expression in Normal Breast Tissue from African American and Caucasian Women (Abstract 43)
This is a fascinating study that identified biological differences in the expression of two genes in normal breast tissue from white and African American women, which may predispose African American women to develop “more aggressive tumors and poorer prognoses.” This may explain why tumors in African American women are “larger, more aggressive and more likely to spread to lymph nodes.”
Study—Familial Breast Cancer in a Cohort of 59,000 African American Women: the Black Women’s Health Study (Abstract 2500)
Results from the Black Women’s Health Study has found that, for African American women, having a mother or sister with breast cancer can increase the risks for developing breast cancer. This is similar to the results found in white women, however few previous studies have looked at cancer risk in African American women.
Study—The Effect of Hospital and Physician Volume on Racial Differences in Disease Recurrence Following Surgery for Prostate Cancer (Abstract 3416)
The study found that African Americans had a higher rate of recurrence of prostate cancer, despite receiving treatment at “hospitals or by surgeons who performed a high number of such operations.” In other words, they received equivalent care. This is contrary to previous research in which it was presumed that disparities stemmed from
Many previous studies and an Institute of Medicine report have shown that African Americans have a higher rate of prostate cancer recurrence and greater mortality. It was assumed that this was because of unequal access to care. However, in this study, when the researchers looked at the results, racial disparities persisted, even when African Americans received treatment at high-volume institutions.
Study—Differential Gene Expression in Normal Breast Tissue from African American and Caucasian Women (Abstract 43)
This is a fascinating study that identified biological differences in the expression of two genes in normal breast tissue from white and African American women, which may predispose African American women to develop “more aggressive tumors and poorer prognoses.” This may explain why tumors in African American women are “larger, more aggressive and more likely to spread to lymph nodes.”
Study—Familial Breast Cancer in a Cohort of 59,000 African American Women: the Black Women’s Health Study (Abstract 2500)
Results from the Black Women’s Health Study has found that, for African American women, having a mother or sister with breast cancer can increase the risks for developing breast cancer. This is similar to the results found in white women, however few previous studies have looked at cancer risk in African American women.