Racial gap in cancer death linked to social status

Black patients with colon cancer seem to fare just as well as their white counterparts after accounting for differences in socioeconomic status and the treatment received, according to a report in the journal Cancer.

"Few studies have addressed racial disparities in survival for colon cancer by adequately incorporating both treatment and socioeconomic factors, and the findings from those studies have been inconsistent," write Dr. Xianglin L. Du and colleagues from the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston.

The researchers conducted an analysis of published data to determine the association between socioeconomic status and racial disparities in colon cancer survival. Of 66 articles reviewed, 56 were excluded, leaving 10 studies for the final analysis.
"All 10 studies provided estimates on racial disparities in survival for colon...cancer that adjusted for some measures of socioeconomic status, age and sex," the team found. However, only three studies adjusted for all the key variables -- socioeconomic status, treatment, the presence of other diseases, and the stage of cancer.

A total of 96,494 patients with colon cancer were included in the analysis. After accounting for socioeconomic factors and treatment differences, there was little difference in survival between black and white patients.

Du and colleagues conclude that survival differences are marginal once socioeconomic factors and treatment are taken into account.

"Attempts to modify treatment and socioeconomic factors with the objective of reducing racial disparities in health outcomes may have important clinical and public health implications," they point out.

SOURCE: Cancer, June 1, 2007.