Black Patients With Cancer Still Have Higher Mortality Rates Than Whites

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2025 -- Cancer mortality has decreased among Black Americans, but they still have elevated mortality rates compared with White Americans, according to a study published online Feb. 20 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

Anatu H. Saka, M.P.H., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues compiled the most recent data on cancer incidence (through 2021), mortality (through 2022), survival, screening, and risk factors using population‐based data from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Black people in the United States.

The researchers note there will be about 248,470 new cancer cases and 73,240 cancer deaths among Black people in the United States in 2025. From 1991 to 2022, Black men experienced the largest relative decline in cancer mortality overall (49 percent) and in almost every 10-year age group, with decreases of 65 to 67 percent in those aged 40 to 59 years. The improvements mainly reflect historical reductions in smoking initiation in Black adolescents, treatment advances, and earlier detection for certain cancers. However, Black men had 16 percent higher mortality than White men during the most recent five years despite just a 4 percent higher incidence; Black women had 10 percent higher mortality despite a 9 percent lower incidence than White women. Larger inequalities for mortality than incidence reflect higher death rates for many cancers. The causes of ongoing disparities are multifactorial, but mainly stem from inequities in social determinants of health relating to structural racism.

"Future efforts must go beyond research to disentangle the influence of structural racism on health and actively develop mechanisms to reverse course," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2025-02-23 00:00

Read more

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Popular Keywords