October 08, 2008
African Americans have a dramatically worse prognosis for head and neck cancer
In a study published this week in the journal Cancer researchers report that African-Americans with head and neck cancers have a shorter survival time than whites (21 months vs. 40 months) and that the difference "is not explained completely by demographics, comorbid conditions, or undertreatment because poor outcomes continued to be observed after correcting for these factors. Earlier diagnosis, particularly in those from low SES groups and among AA patients, is needed to improve outcomes."
MedPage Today has a good review of the article.
Posted by David Porter at 09:30 AM
Category: African-American Health; Cancer; Head and Neck; Health Disparities; Heath Inequities