Ethnic differences in breast cancer highlighted

(Healthandage, 13th January 2003)

There are wide disparities in diagnosis, treatment and survival of women with breast cancer according to their racial and ethnic background.
It is known that there is a relationship between race and ethnicity and the treatment and outcome in breast cancer. Now researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle present the most comprehensive study to date of this important matter.

They looked at nearly 125,000 women with breast cancer, dividing them into 17 racial/ethnic categories. Analysis of medical records revealed some interesting disparities in diagnosis, treatments and outcomes of the disease. For instance, Japanese women were 30 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with late stage breast cancer, compared to women of, for instance, Filipino, Hawaiian and other groups, who were more likely than average to have late stage disease.

Mexican and Puerto Rican women were more likely to receive inappropriate treatment, while other ethnic groups, such as Korean and Vietnamese, were more likely to get the right treatment. When it came to survival, it was Japanese and Chinese women who had the best rates, while Hawaiian and Mexican women had 30 per cent poorer survival rates than non-Hispanic white women. There are many possible reasons for these disparities - cultural practice, genetics, dietary habits and socio-economic factors. Understanding these and addressing, in particular, socio-economic inequalities should allow all women a better outcome in breast cancer.


Source
Archives of Internal Medicine.