October 09, 2008
JAMA reports on racial disparities in breast cancer treatment
From JAMA:
A recent analysis presented at the symposium by researchers at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston revealed that black women are less likely than white women to receive radiation therapy after lumpectomy, which is the standard of care. The study, which is the first to look at radiation therapy rates on a national scale and to compare differences among US regions, also showed that radiation rates after lumpectomy in general are lower than they should be.
Another study sought to identify the reasons for higher mastectomy rates in rural areas. A long-held belief is that mastectomies are more common among women who live in rural areas because they do not have the same access to postlumpectomy radiation therapy as urban women. However, this study found that women in rural and urban areas have equivalent rates of radiation therapy following breast cancer surgery.
Posted by David Porter at 07:30 AM
Category: Breast Cancer; Health Care; Health Disparities; Health Inequities