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African
Americans have almost an identical colorectal cancer survival
rate to whites when they get equivalent treatment, according
to a new study by researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
"When
you look at national statistics, African-American patients
with colon cancer do worse than Caucasians," said Dr.
Charles S. Fuchs. "What I think our study offers is that
when they get equal access to state-of-the-art oncology care,
the outcome is equivalent."
Fuchs
and his colleagues reported in the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute on survival outcomes and toxicity for 344
black patients and 3,036 white patients who took part in chemotherapy
trials for colorectal cancer.
Five-year
disease-free survival was 57 percent for African Americans
and 58 percent for whites, and overall survival was 65 percent
for black patients and 66 percent for whites.
Interestingly,
the study found African Americans generally had fewer treatment-related
side effects.
Nausea
was reported during treatment by 47 percent of black patients
and 61 percent of white patients; vomiting was reported by
24 percent of blacks and 31 percent of whites and diarrhea
was reported by 51 percent of blacks and 75 percent of whites.
Source:
Colorectal
Cancer Week of August 11, 2002
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