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Race
and Gender Can Influence Risk of Colorectal
Cancer
Newswise — African Americans are at significantly higher risk of
developing colorectal cancer, and being
diagnosed with the disease at a later stage,
than other ethnic groups. That’s the finding
of a paper being presented at the annual
meeting of the American College of
Gastroenterology in San Diego.
Robert Wong, M.D., and his colleagues at California Pacific Medical
Center looked at records of more than
500,000 cases of colorectal cancer,
diagnosed between 1973 and 2004, analyzing
them for race and sex-specific disparities.
In the study proximal colon cancers included the cecum, ascending
colon, up to the point of the hepatic
flexure, which is the point where the colon
makes a turn to become the transverse colon.
They found that African American males were more than twice as likely
as Asian American males to be diagnosed with
proximal cancer (25.2 per 100,000/year vs
11.7 per 100,000 year.).
The rate among African American women was also twice that of Asian
American women (21.9 vs 11.4). Similar
disparities were seen between African
Americans, both men and women, and whites
and Hispanics.
“I was surprised at how big the differences were between the various
groups,” says Wong, the lead author of the
study.
“I had done similar research on liver cancer in the past and found that
racial and ethnic differences were present,
but not nearly as stark as this.”
The differences were not just in numbers but also in the severity of
the disease. African Americans had the
highest rates of advanced cancer, with the
rate among both African American men and
women nearly double that of Hispanic men and
women. The more advanced the disease is when
diagnosed the poorer the outcome for the
patient.
“I think access to care plays a huge role in determining who is at risk
and how great that risk is,” says Wong. “But
access alone does not explain all the
differences.
"It’s likely that for some socio-economic
groups education is also critical. Members
of certain groups may not have enough
information on education and the importance
of screening.”
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second most
common cause of death from cancer in the
United States.
The researchers hope that identifying which groups are at highest risk
will help in guiding changes and
improvements in cancer screening programs.
California Pacific Medical Center. Beyond
Medicine.
At San Francisco’s California Pacific
Medical Center, we believe in the power of
medicine. We research the most up-to-date
treatments, hire the most qualified
individuals, and practice the most modern,
innovative medicine available.
We deliver the highest quality expert care, with kindness and
compassion, in acute, post-acute and
outpatient services, as well as preventive
and complementary medicine.
But we also believe that medicine alone is only part of the solution.
That’s why we look intently at each
individual case and treat the whole person,
not just the illness. It’s why we go beyond
medical care and provide our patients with
things like disease counseling, family
support and wellness treatments.
As one of California’s largest private, community-based,
not-for-profit, teaching medical centers,
and a Sutter Health affiliate, we are able
to reach deep into our community to provide
education, screening and financial support
in some of the city’s most underserved
neighborhoods. Because medicine can
transform a body. But going beyond medicine
can transform a life.
www.cpmc.org
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