Study Finds Racial Treatment Disparities Lower Survival Odds for Some Mesothelioma Patients, According to Surviving Mesothelioma
Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) June 24, 2015 -- Mesothelioma experts in New York compared nearly 20,000 black and white mesothelioma patients and found that, although mesothelioma is less common in blacks, white patients tend to live longer. Click here to read the full story on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.
Doctors at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine and Mount Sinai Medical Center used data from the SEER cancer database to compare mesothelioma cases and treatment differences among black and white mesothelioma patients.
“Black patients were more likely to be female, younger, and with advanced stage and less likely to undergo cancer-directed surgery than whites, after adjustment by stage,” writes Emanuela Taioli, of the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.
According to the report in Disease Markers, the fact that African American mesothelioma patients were less likely to have surgery for their cancer dramatically reduced their survival odds, as a group.
“Mesothelioma is one of the most challenging cancers in the world to treat. We believe that every patient ought to be aware of, and be able to access, the best mesothelioma therapies available to improve their survival odds,” says Alex Strauss, Managing Editor of Surviving Mesothelioma.
To read the study’s major findings and the authors’ recommendations for improving mesothelioma survival among African Americans, see Treatment Disparity Blamed for Poorer Survival in Black Mesothelioma Patients, now available on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.
Taioli, E, et al, “Frequency of Surgery in Black Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma”, April 30, 2015, Epub ahead of print, Disease Markers, http://www.hindawi.com/journals/dm/2015/282145/
For nearly ten years, Surviving Mesothelioma has brought readers the most important and ground-breaking news on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. All Surviving Mesothelioma news is gathered and reported directly from the peer-reviewed medical literature. Written for patients and their loved ones, Surviving Mesothelioma news helps families make more informed decisions.
Michael Ellis, Cancer Monthy, http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com, +1 (919) 570-8595, [email protected]
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