Lung Cancer Treatment is Colored by Race

By Alison Gonzalez

Published on January 07, 2008

The research, published in the journal Cancer, compared data on more than 11,000 lung cancer cases, 82,000 prostate cancer cases, and 7,800 colon cancer cases from 1992 to 2002.

Researchers found throughout the years, there have been no improvements in those getting treated for cancer. Blacks remain less likely to receive the recommended type of cancer treatment, according to the study.

Data shows blacks with lung cancer are 19 percent less likely to have the tumor surgically removed than whites, and blacks with colon cancer were 24 percent less likely to receive chemotherapy to eliminate cancer cells.

They also found that the difference in the quality of cancer care among different races remained unchanged during the ten-year interval.

Such disparities in cancer treatment touch on issues of racism in the medical system, which has long been the focus of many debates, said American Cancer Society chief medical officer Dr. Otis Brawley.

Other possible factors for the disparity include blacks having less access to quality medical care because of financial reasons, or blacks being more likely to develop other medical conditions that may interfere with cancer treatment, such as diabetes.

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