For the first time an interesting report looks at the relationship between racial subgroups and colorectal cancer outcome. This report is to appear in the August 1, 2005 issue of CANCER.
Colorectal cancer is a common cancer responsible for causing up to 11 percent of all cancer-related deaths in the United States . The Prognosis of the cancer is dependent on the stage of disease at the time of diagnosis.The study reveals wide variations in colorectal cancer stage of diagnosis and mortality. Some ethnic groups have a 10 to 60 percent higher risk of stage III or IV colorectal cancer compared to some non-Hispanic whites. Some have 20 to 30 percent higher risk of death from the disease. The good news for Asian Americans and non-Hispanic whites is that they are less prone to have advanced disease compared to Native Americans and African Americans.
The researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, reviewed patient data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program to look at the relationship between 18 racial categories and stage of disease and mortality. Analysis showed that African Americans, Native Americans, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and Hispanic whites were more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stages of colorectal cancer compared to non-Hispanic whites. They also found that African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic whites had higher risks of dying from colorectal cancer, while Asians/Pacific Islanders had a lower risk compared to non-Hispanic whites. More interestingly within the category of Asian/Pacific Islander, risk of stage IV disease and/or death was lower for Chinese, Japanese, and Indian/Pakistanis but elevated for Filipinos and Hawaiians compared to non-Hispanic whites. Within the category of Hispanic white, risk of stage IV disease and/or death compared to non-Hispanic whites was similar for Cubans and Puerto Ricans but increased for Mexicans and South/Central Americans.
Article: "Differences in Colorectal Carcinoma Stage and Survival by Race and Ethnicity," Chloe Chien, Libby M. Morimoto, Jamie Tom, Christopher I. Li, CANCER; Published Online: June 27, 2005 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.21204); Print Issue Date: August 1, 2005 . Article is available via Wiley InterScience at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/cancer-newsroom .
