Black women with uterine cancers more likely to die than white patientsFebruary 09, 2009Black women with cancers of the uterus are less likely to survive the disease than white women, and relatively little progress has been made over the past two decades to narrow this racial difference. That is the conclusion of a new study published in the March 15, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. While previous research has shown that black women are more likely to die from uterine cancers than their white counterparts, little is known about the factors involved in this discrepancy. In addition, studies have not looked at whether efforts to provide equal treatment to all patients have lessened this disparity in recent years. To investigate the issue, Dr. Jason Wright, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and colleagues studied the clinical data of 80,915 patients, 7 percent of whom were black, who were documented to have uterine cancer between 1988 and 2004 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Database. The investigators divided the data into three groups based on when women were diagnosed: 1988-1993, 1994-1998, and 1999-2004. The researchers found that black patients were significantly younger and had more advanced and more aggressive tumors than white women. Advanced cancers (stage III/IV) occurred in 27 percent of blacks between 1988 and 1993 and in 28 percent from 1999 to 2004. The corresponding figures for white women were 14 percent from 1988 to 1993 and 17 percent from 1999 to 2004. Overall, black women were 60 percent more likely to die from their tumors than white women, and for each of the three time periods, survival was worse for blacks than for whites. Dr. Wright and his team also found that over time, the incidence of serous tumors and clear cell tumors (two aggressive types of cancer) increased and the use of radiation decreased for both races. Lymph node dissection was performed to determine tumor stage more commonly in both races in recent years, and its use was well matched between the two groups (45 percent of blacks and 48 percent of whites). The investigators note that differences in tumor characteristics and inequalities in care cannot completely explain the survival disparity between races found in this study. Biological differences might also play a role. Racial differences in risk factors such as obesity, medical comorbidities, and estrogen use have also been proposed as contributing to observed racial disparities in uterine cancer survival. American Cancer Society |
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| Related Uterine Cancer Current Events and Uterine Cancer News Articles Hormone mix could cut breast cancer risk and treat symptoms of menopause The right combination of estrogen and a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), which blocks the effects of estrogen in breast tissue, could relieve menopause symptoms and cut breast cancer risk. New drug aims to 'seek and destroy' many types of cancer A new drug designed to "seek and destroy" common cancers such as breast, prostate, endometrial, pancreatic, ovarian, skin and testicular cancers is being tested at TGen Clinical Research Services (TCRS) at Scottsdale Healthcare. Study identifies how tamoxifen stimulates uterine cell growth and cancer UCSF researchers have identified a new "feed-forward" pathway linking estrogen receptors in the membrane of the uterus to a process that increases local estrogen levels and promotes cell growth. New research findings may enable earlier diagnosis of uterine cancer Cancer is a genetic disease. It occurs when changes take place in the genes that regulate cell division, cell growth, cell death, cell signalling and blood vessel formation - either due to mutations caused by external factors such as smoking or radiation - or due to inherited changes. 2 new compounds show promise for eliminating breast cancer tumors Two new compounds created by a University of Central Florida professor show early promise for destroying breast cancer tumors. Hormone drug type makes survival difference in advanced breast cancer Aromatase inhibitors, a type of hormone therapy used to treat advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women, result in a small but significant increase in overall survival when compared to other hormone treatments, according to a new systematic review of studies. Two new studies reveal benefits of laparoscopic surgery for uterine cancer In a pair of studies presented today at the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists 37th Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer, researchers have found in a large randomized trial of laparoscopy versus laparotomy for surgical treatment of uterine (endometrial) cancer that laparoscopy is safe, and when successfully completed reduces hospital stay by 50 percent, and contributes to a better quality of life from the patient's perspective. Studies find no evidence that estrogens in soy increase uterine cancer risk Studies in monkeys and women suggest that unlike traditional estrogen therapy, a diet high in the natural plant estrogens found in soy does not increase the risk of uterine cancer in postmenopausal women. Yale procedure cuts recurrence of aggressive uterine cancer A state-of-the-art treatment program developed at Yale School of Medicine increases survival from the aggressive uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) and spares some patients the need for additional therapy. Detection of glycoprotein could identify ovarian and uterine cancers with poor prognosis (p 865) Issue 13 September 2003 Embargoed 0001 h (London time) 12 September 2003. The detection of a specific protein molecule could help oncologists identify uterine and ovarian cancers with poor prognosis and thereby enable better disease management of women with aggressive uterine or ovarian cancer, suggest authors of a study in this week's issue of THE LANCET. Ovarian and uterine cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer-related deaths for women with gynaecological malignant disease. The prognosis for women with uterine cancer is usually better than for women with ovarian cancer; however some women will develop aggressive tumours in either disease which increases the risk of death. More Uterine Cancer Current Events and Uterine Cancer News Articles |
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