INTRODUCTION: Approximately 1.2 million Americans will be diagnosed with invasive cancer in the year 2000 and there will be about 550,000 cancer deaths. A disproportionate number of these deaths will occur among racial/ethnic minorities, particularly African-Americans. The existence of racial disparities in the receipt of treatment for heart disease raise questions about possible inequities in the receipt of cancer treatment METHODS:To evaluate racial/ethnic disparities in cancer treatment we examined the published literature which, focused on either access/ utilization of specific procedures, trends in utilization patterns or survival studies. Our objective was to determine (1) Are there racial/ethnic variations in the receipt of cancer treatment? (2) If so, in what areas do these variations exist? (3) What is known about the specific mechanisms under which these variations occur (4) Do these treatment variations result in racial/ethnic disparities in cancer outcomes? RESULTS: We found racial/ethnic disparities in cancer treatment. including receipt of definitive primary therapy, conservative therapy, and adjuvant therapy. Treatment disparities differed by site and were not completely explained by racial/ethnic variation in clinical prognostic factors. Further, disparate treatment had an adverse impact on the health and well being of racial/ethnic minorities including more frequent recurrences, shorter disease free survival and higher mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing the influence of nonclinical factors on the receipt of cancer treatment may provide an important means of reducing racial/ethnic disparities in health. Therefore their contribution to the disparate mortality of racial/ethnic minority populations should be clearly identified, their impact quantified, and strategies developed to reduce these disparities.
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Health Care Access, Ethnicity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.