Equal care ensures equal survival for African‐American women with cervical carcinoma

Abstract

BACKGOUND.It was the purpose of this study to investigate whether race is an independent prognostic factor in the survival of patients with cervical carcinoma in a health care system with minimal racial bias, and few barriers to access to care. METHODS. RESULTS.One thousand five hundred fifty-three patients were obtained for review.Sixty-five percent of patients were Caucasian, and 35% were minorities. Of the minorities, 29% were African Americans (AAs). Mean age of diagnosis was similar among AAs and Caucasians, 44 and 42 years, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the distribution of age, stage, grade, or histology between Caucasians and AAs. Forty-six percent of patients were treated with surgery and 56% with radiation therapy, with no difference in type of treatment between the Caucasian and AA groups. Five-and 10-year survival rates for Caucasians and AAs were 75%, and 76%, and 64% 65% (P ϭ 0.59), respectively. CONCLUSIONS.In an equal access, unbiased, nonracial environment, race is not an independent predictor of survival for patients with cervical carcinoma. This study has shown, for the first time to the authors' knowledge, that when they receive equal treatment for cervical carcinoma, AA women's survival can approach that of their nonminority counterparts (75% at 10 years). Cancer 2001;91:869 -73.

Anal cancer incidence and survival: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results experience, 1973–2000

“…One study reported that when African-American women received the same level of care for cervical cancer as did their white counterparts, they had similar 5-year survival rates. 38 This finding suggests that inequality in care may play a substantial role in the observed inequality in survival rates for patients with anal cancer, assuming that the relation between treatment and survival is similar for patients with cervical cancer and patients with anal cancer. Furthermore, a recent study reported that patients with anal cancer who were HIV positive were more likely to have treatment-related toxicity and may have been more likely to die of malignant disease after treatment.…”

Large differences in patterns of breast cancer survival between Australia and England: A comparative study using cancer registry data

“…In cancer populations where treatment has been equalized, differences in cause-specific survival between social or racial groups are small or nonexistent. [42][43][44][45][46] However, whether patterns of treatment can explain the international survival differences for breast cancer has yet to be examined.…”

Racial Differences in Cervical Cancer Survival in the Detroit Metropolitan Area

“…6,7,14,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Unlike information on stage and treatment, however, databases used by public health researchers generally do not include information on individual SES. SES has been described in the cervical cancer literature using various combinations of measures, including poverty level, occupation, educational level, and insurance status.…”