disparities

Important cancer study finds alarming black-white disparities

Source: www.greenvilleonline.com Author: editorial A recent report identified alarming disparities in cancer rates in black and white South Carolinians. By helping to diagnose the scope of the problem, the study eventually may lead to better cancer prevention. Black South Carolinians get cancer more often than white South Carolinians, researchers at the University of South Carolina found. In addition, blacks who get cancer are more likely to die — even from cancers they get less often than whites. “This study is alarming,” said Dr. James Hebert, lead author and professor at USC's School of Public Health. “It shows health disparities in a visual, graphic way.” The study is one of the nation's first to track the ratio of deaths based on the incidence of specific cancers. For instance, the mortality rate for blacks in South Carolina with prostate, oral and breast cancers is almost double the rate for whites. Even though blacks smoke less than whites, statistics on oral cancer show that African Americans have a higher mortality rate throughout most of the state. The research was deemed significant enough to appear in the June issue of the peer-reviewed journal Cancer. Although the study was conducted in South Carolina, it can be replicated in other states and regions, helping public health officials better understand the extent of the problem and aiding in targeting resources. Though the study has national ramifications, it's particularly important in identifying problems here in South Carolina. The cancer disparities between blacks and whites is greater in the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-06-15T20:17:53-07:00June, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Head and neck cancer worse in blacks

Source: www.curetoday.com Author: staff African Americans and economically disadvantaged patients face a worse prognosis than other patients with head and neck cancer, according to a report in the journal Cancer. "The head and neck cancer manuscript is the first in a series of manuscripts we have written to examine disparities in cancer," Dr. Michael Cheung told Reuters Health. "We have observed disparities in a number of different cancers," including those of the esophagus and the reproductive organs. Cheung and colleagues at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, sought to determine the impact of race and socioeconomic status on outcomes for almost 21,000 patients with cancers of the head and neck diagnosed between 1998 and 2002. Typical survival times were significantly higher for whites (40 months) than for African Americans (21 months), for Hispanics (47 months) than for non-Hispanics (37 months), and for women (41 months) than for men (36 months), the authors report. Patients living in communities with poverty rates above 15 percent were diagnosed with head and neck cancer at a significantly earlier age, and survival times were decreased across all age groups in such communities. Consistent with previous research, alcohol and tobacco use also adversely affected survival in patients with head and neck cancer, the report indicates. Other predictors of survival included the location and stage of the tumor as well as the surgical, medical, and radiology treatments used. The inequalities seen in the study are "not explained completely by demographics, (other medical) conditions, or undertreatment [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-01-01T17:08:51-07:00January, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Disparities in head and neck cancer patients

Source: www.eurekalert.com Author: staff A new analysis finds considerable disparities in survival related to race and socio-economic status among patients with head and neck cancer. Published in the November 15, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that earlier diagnosis and greater access to treatment could improve outcomes for these cancers among African Americans and the poor. A number of studies have examined disparities in cancer survival among different groups to help identify interventions to improve patient outcomes. To investigate factors that impact survival from head and neck cancer, Dr. Leonidas Koniaris and colleagues at the University of Miami School of Medicine reviewed all head and neck cancer cases in Florida between 1998 and 2002. By mining information from the Florida Cancer Data System and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration dataset, they were able to accumulate data on diagnoses, comorbid conditions, and procedures performed during every hospitalization or outpatient visit among 20,915 head and neck cancer patients during that time. The review found poorer outcomes were associated with race, poverty, age, gender, tumor site and stage, treatment type, and a history of smoking and alcohol consumption. Regarding race, the average survival time among Hispanics was 47 months, compared with 40 months among Caucasians and 21 months among African Americans. African American patients were diagnosed at a younger age and presented with more advanced disease compared with Caucasians. For all tumor stages, African American patients had a significantly shorter average survival [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-07T07:54:56-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|

Kaiser Health Disparities Report: A Weekly Look At Race, Ethnicity And Health

Source: Kaiser Network (www.kaisernetwork.org) Author: staff Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell on Tuesday discussed the efforts of two young black dentists in Chicago who are seeking to improve the oral health of black men. Mitchell notes that according to the American Dental Association, more than 50% of black men have untreated dental decay and black men are less likely than other men to have decayed teeth repaired. Black men also have the highest rate of oral cancer and the lowest survival rate from the disease of any other group, Mitchell writes. In an interview with Mitchell, Patrick Smith, a graduate of Harvard University School of Dental Medicine, said, "The reason why the statistics are so alarming is men don't go in for check-ups, even though oral cancer is more prevalent in the African-American community," adding, "By the time we as black men have oral cancer, it is advanced." Patrick Smith has partnered with Ozzie Smith, a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, to open up a dental office in the Hyde Park community of Chicago. Patrick Smith added that the "sad part" of the issue surrounding black men and oral health is that "many of them have insurance and they just don't go either because of fear or preconceived notions or complete ignorance about what goes on in a dentist's office." Patrick Smith said that when black male patients come into a dental office and "see how things work and how much better it is, they realize [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-08-20T11:26:34-07:00August, 2008|Oral Cancer News|