Colon cancer treatment better, but not all Americans benefit from it
While new and better treatments have improved the odds of survival for patients diagnosed with late stage colorectal cancer, that progress has been largely confined to non-Hispanic whites and Asians and those under age 65, according to a new study.
American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers led by Helmneh Sineshaw, M.D., MPH, found no significant increases in survival rates for Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks with metastatic colon cancer. Approximately 50,000 patients were included in the analysis. The study, appearing in the January issue of Cancer Causes and Control, concludes that more efforts are needed to increase access to new treatments for minority groups and older patients, as well as a better understanding of the factors contributing to the disparities in survival.