A Matter of Race: Early-versus Late-stage Cancer Diagnosis

Overview

Journal Health Aff (Millwood)

Specialty Health Services

Date 2009 Jan 7

PMID 19124866

Citations 64

Authors

Beth A Virnig

Nancy N Baxter

Elizabeth B Habermann

Roger D Feldman

Cathy J Bradley

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We compared the stage at which cancer is diagnosed and survival rates between African Americans and whites, for thirty-four solid tumors, using the population-based Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Whites were diagnosed at earlier stages than African Americans for thirty-one of the thirty-four tumor sites. Whites were significantly more likely than blacks to survive five years for twenty-six tumor sites; no cancer site had significantly superior survival among African Americans. These differences cannot be explained by screening behavior or risk factors; they point instead to the need for broad-based strategies to remedy racial inequality in cancer survival.

Citing Articles

Schiff bases targeting an Sw-480 colorectal cell line: synthesis, characterization, ds-DNA binding and anticancer studies.

Nasir H, Abbas N, Arfan M, Aftab U, Rafi A, Hafeez H RSC Adv. 2025; 15(3):1527-1539.

PMID: 39831037 PMC: 11740299. DOI: 10.1039/d4ra06962e.

Allostatic Load, Educational Attainment, and Risk of Cancer Mortality Among US Men.

Li C, Howard S, Rogers C, Andrzejak S, Gilbert K, Watts K JAMA Netw Open. 2024; 7(12):e2449855.

PMID: 39656456 PMC: 11632542. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.49855.

Factors Impacting Intent to Share Multigenic Cancer Testing Results in a Community Hospital Setting.

Siddiqui W, Pacyna J, Phelan S, Jones J, Samadder N, Sharp R J Pers Med. 2024; 14(9).

PMID: 39338241 PMC: 11433406. DOI: 10.3390/jpm14090987.

Development and validation of a prognostic nomogram for esophageal cancer patients based on SEER Asian population.

Guo X, Qin L, Tian J, Li P, Dou Z, Gong Y Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):21475.

PMID: 39277664 PMC: 11401934. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-72730-3.

Association between social determinants of health and survival among the US cancer survivors population.

Huang H, Wei T, Huang Y, Zhang A, Zhang H, Zhang Z BMC Med. 2024; 22(1):343.

PMID: 39183305 PMC: 11346002. DOI: 10.1186/s12916-024-03563-0.

References

Gaskin D, Spencer C, Richard P, Anderson G, Powe N, LaVeist T . Do hospitals provide lower-quality care to minorities than to whites?. Health Aff (Millwood). 2008; 27(2):518-27. DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.27.2.518. View

OMalley C, Shema S, Clarke L, Clarke C, Perkins C . Medicaid status and stage at diagnosis of cervical cancer. Am J Public Health. 2006; 96(12):2179-85. PMC: 1698154. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.072553. View

Pollitt R, Clarke C, Shema S, Swetter S . California Medicaid enrollment and melanoma stage at diagnosis: a population-based study. Am J Prev Med. 2008; 35(1):7-13. PMC: 4350993. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2008.03.026. View

Tromp D, Brouha X, Hordijk G, Winnubst J, Gebhardt W, van der Doef M . Medical care-seeking and health-risk behavior in patients with head and neck cancer: the role of health value, control beliefs and psychological distress. Health Educ Res. 2005; 20(6):665-75. DOI: 10.1093/her/cyh031. View

Barr J, Franks A, Lee N, Herther P, Schachter M . Factors associated with continued participation in mammography screening. Prev Med. 2001; 33(6):661-7. DOI: 10.1006/pmed.2001.0942. View

Virnig B, Hudson Scholle S, Chou A, Shih S . Efforts to reduce racial disparities in Medicare managed care must consider the disproportionate effects of geography. Am J Manag Care. 2007; 13(1):51-6. View

Menec V, Sirski M, Attawar D . Does continuity of care matter in a universally insured population?. Health Serv Res. 2005; 40(2):389-400. PMC: 1361147. DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2005.00363.x. View

Loehrer Sr P, Greger H, Weinberger M, Musick B, Miller M, Nichols C . Knowledge and beliefs about cancer in a socioeconomically disadvantaged population. Cancer. 1991; 68(7):1665-71. DOI: 10.1002/1097-0142(19911001)68:7<1665::aid-cncr2820680734>3.0.co;2-3. View

Hunter C, Redmond C, Chen V, Austin D, Greenberg R, Correa P . Breast cancer: factors associated with stage at diagnosis in black and white women. Black/White Cancer Survival Study Group. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993; 85(14):1129-37. DOI: 10.1093/jnci/85.14.1129. View

10.

Bradley C, Given C, Roberts C . Late stage cancers in a Medicaid-insured population. Med Care. 2003; 41(6):722-8. DOI: 10.1097/01.MLR.0000065126.73750.D1. View

11.

Corner J, Hopkinson J, Roffe L . Experience of health changes and reasons for delay in seeking care: a UK study of the months prior to the diagnosis of lung cancer. Soc Sci Med. 2005; 62(6):1381-91. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.08.012. View

12.

Govindarajan R, Shah R, Erkman L, Hutchins L . Racial differences in the outcome of patients with colorectal carcinoma. Cancer. 2003; 97(2):493-8. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.11067. View

13.

Gorin S, Heck J, Cheng B, Smith S . Delays in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment by racial/ethnic group. Arch Intern Med. 2006; 166(20):2244-52. DOI: 10.1001/archinte.166.20.2244. View

14.

Perkins C, Wright W, Allen M, Samuels S, Romano P . Breast cancer stage at diagnosis in relation to duration of medicaid enrollment. Med Care. 2001; 39(11):1224-33. DOI: 10.1097/00005650-200111000-00009. View

15.

Caplan L, Helzlsouer K, Shapiro S, Wesley M, Edwards B . Reasons for delay in breast cancer diagnosis. Prev Med. 1996; 25(2):218-24. DOI: 10.1006/pmed.1996.0049. View

16.

Gross C, Smith B, Wolf E, Andersen M . Racial disparities in cancer therapy: did the gap narrow between 1992 and 2002?. Cancer. 2008; 112(4):900-8. PMC: 3535295. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.23228. View

17.

Fowler Jr J, Bigler S, Bowman G, Kilambi N . Race and cause specific survival with prostate cancer: influence of clinical stage, Gleason score, age and treatment. J Urol. 1999; 163(1):137-42. DOI: 10.1016/s0022-5347(05)67989-x. View

18.

Coleman M, Babb P, Sloggett A, Quinn M, De Stavola B . Socioeconomic inequalities in cancer survival in England and Wales. Cancer. 2001; 91(1 Suppl):208-16. DOI: 10.1002/1097-0142(20010101)91:1+<208::aid-cncr6>3.0.co;2-e. View

19.

Ghafoor A, Jemal A, Ward E, Cokkinides V, Smith R, Thun M . Trends in breast cancer by race and ethnicity. CA Cancer J Clin. 2004; 53(6):342-55. DOI: 10.3322/canjclin.53.6.342. View

20.

Goodson 3rd W, Moore 2nd D . Causes of physician delay in the diagnosis of breast cancer. Arch Intern Med. 2002; 162(12):1343-8. DOI: 10.1001/archinte.162.12.1343. View