Minorities with colorectal cancer aren't living as long as whites, new research shows.
In an analysis of more than 14,000 patients with stage 2 and 3 colorectal cancer who had surgery to remove tumors, followed by treatment to prevent recurrence, the 1,218 African-American patients had a lower five-year survival rate than their white counterparts. And five years after diagnosis, 72.8 percent of white patients survived, compared with only 68.2 percent of blacks.
Colorectal cancer isn’t the only condition that disproportionately affects certain races. "Across the board, if you look at the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S., blacks have higher death rates than whites in about 12 of them, including heart disease, cancer and stroke," David Williams, the Norman professor of public health at the Harvard School of Public Health, told ABC News.
Poor access to health care, a lack of health insurance, the fear of seeking medical care because of immigration status, and a mixture of individual and societal factors are among the primary reasons for the disparity.
"For individuals, adopting a healthy lifestyle and receiving recommended health screenings are first steps. Unfortunately, not all communities have the same access to the resources and health care services necessary for a healthy lifestyle and early detection of diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, which are among the leading causes of death," Leandris C. Liburd, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office of Minority Health and Health Equity, told ABC News.
